IN HIS first race in nearly seven months, Group 1 winner Dont Care showed neither any signs of rust nor having lost any of his explosive ability.
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Returning to the racetrack for the first time since last July, the Kate Hargreaves-trained four-year streeted his nine rivals to win the Neville and Patsy Clarke Memorial Trot at Terang on Saturday night.
A popular and imposing win continued a nice affinity with the Western Districts club and track for Hargreaves.
The 30-year-old Shelbourne-based trainer won last year's Group 2 Terang Trotters Cup with Well Defined.
The same horse finished a convincing fourth in this year's cup, won by former Bendigo trainer-driver Chris Svanosio with the New Zealand import Cuchulainn.
While Well Defined could not quite manage back-to-back cup wins at Terang, nothing for Hargreaves could take away from the gloss of Dont Care's dramatic return.
A win for the Group 1 star, superbly driven by Bendigo's Ellen Tormey, never seemed in doubt after the gelding reached the front early in the race.
The four-year-old gelding entered the home straight with a 5m break over his nearest rival and was electrifying in extending that margin to 15.1m in capping a brilliant return to racing.
It was just the type of performance Hargreaves had been hoping for by the son of Used To Me and the mare My Dreamweaver, who boosted his career record to seven wins and three placings from 17 starts, for earnings of nearly $100,000.
"Obviously he had a very long spell, he just needed to grow - he just wasn't going well, so I just tipped him out (last year)," she said.
"He's grown heaps in the time he was out.
"Relieved is probably the word I would use about the win.
"I expected him to go really well, but maybe not to demolish them as he did. He did it super-easy.
"He was a class above them, but he was first-up for a really long time and he's only had four runs in the last 12 months, so he didn't really have fitness on his side.
"He's the type of horse that works into a campaign, so I'd say he's only going to get better and better.
"I didn't think he was a moral or anything like that, but he was super impressive."
I expected him to go really well, but maybe not to demolish them as he did. He did it super-easy.
- Kate Hargreaves
Dont Care provided Hargreaves with the undoubted highlight of her still young training career with his victory in the Group 1 Vicbred Super Series Final for colts and geldings as a two-year-old in 2020.
She is optimistic he can again reach those heights, albeit with no obvious short-term goal in mind.
"There's nothing in particular we are looking at, I'm just going to tick him along for the rest of this campaign and just find races as we go," she said.
"I don't want to push him too hard or anything like that, I just want to get a few runs into him.
"Then he'll go back out to the paddock before the feature races at the end of the year.
"He was a standout juvenile, so I guess that is why I was feeling a little bit of pressure (on Saturday).
"History is against them a but when they are really good as two-year-olds and they sort of don't go on as older horses.
"But he seems like he's come back just as good, if not better."
It was both a sentimental and timely win by Dont Care.
Purchased by his owners as a yearling, the sale proceeds were donated to the Terang Harness Racing Club to assist with the development of its new facilities.
Hargreaves praised another accomplished drive from Tormey, who she said, 'never puts a foot wrong' and has partnered Dont Care in three of his wins, including on debut at Kilmore in May of 2020.
"She didn't push the gate at the start of the race - he can be a bit funny. If you push too hard, he can sometimes gallop," she said.
"Ellen just kept her length there and when she eventually did push forward, that was the winning move.
"She's really patient, Ellen, and she's really good with the trotters."
Hargreaves was pleased with Well Defined's fourth in the $30,000 trotters cup.
The seven-year-old, who won five country cups last season and was placed or finished fourth in four others, gave the strongest indication yet that another cup win was within his grasp with a bright performance off 20m.
The Majestic Son gelding finished just 8m off the winner, who started on the front row, after rounding the corner in the last place before motoring home.
"He was super - I was rapt with him," Hargreaves said.
"He just hit the line so hard. He was last turning for home, but still finished fourth and ran past horses like Keayang Livana.
"He is definitely back to his best and savaging the line, he's just been a victim of circumstances his last few.
"I'm determined to win one (another cup)."
Hargreaves, who has 25 horses in work at the moment, is hoping to build on the momentum of Dont Care's win after a quieter start to the year with only about a half dozen of her horses racing.
"I've had a few new additions and a few new owners come on board, which is really good," she said.
"I was looking for a couple of extra owners and a few people have really supported me, which I am grateful for."
Focusing on the week ahead, Hargreaves nominated Blackbird Miss, who will race at Bendigo on Wednesday night after a recent win at Shepparton, as one of her best chances.
And she is keenly looking forward to the debut of a new three-year-old Sounds Like Fun at Melton on Thursday.
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