Trotter joins superstar dam on Group One honour roll

OUTSTANDING mare Dance Craze has joined her superstar mother on the Australian Grand Prix honour roll.

Causing a minor upset, Dance Craze captured the Group One at Tabcorp Park Melton tonight.

By Muscle Hill, the trotter is from former superstar mare La Coocaracha, which won the inaugural edition at Moonee Valley in 2001.

Emulating her racing feats – which includes winning five Group Ones on both sides of the Tasman – in the breeding barn, La Coocaracha is the dam of eight winners from nine starters.

La Coocaracha’s offspring include dual Group One champion Reina Danzante and Group Two winner La Grange.

She is also the grand dam of Group One winner Royal Treat and Group winners Nieta and Cocosfella.

As for Dance Craze, her latest triumph is her third at Group One level for trainer Anton Golino.

“She has been a wonderful trotter all along,” Golino said. “That’s three Group Ones for her now and with a few metres difference she could have won a few more as she has run second in four of them.

“One of those seconds was in the Grand Prix last year.”

Driven to perfection by Glen Craven, Dance Craze continued to enjoy the ideal one-one trip from barrier four as Tornado Valley, Tough Monarch and Wobelee took turns in the ‘death seat’.

Angled three-wide around the final bend, the six-year-old sprinted to a three-and-a-half metre win from Tornado Valley, which is trained by Andy Gath who prepared La Coocharacha.

Temporale, which led before being eased to trail Tornado Valley, was six-and-a-half metres away third.

Rating 1:58.2 over 2240 metres, Dance Craze provided Golino and Craven with their second Group One of the evening having secured the Lyn McPherson Princess Final with Im Ready Jet earlier on the card.

Leading throughout from barrier three, the daughter of Quaker Jet was never seriously challenged on her way to a 24-metre win from Simone De Beauvoir.

Imamaorijet, a stablemate of the winner, was two-and-a-half metres away third.

Stretching her record to an impressive six wins and a third from 11 starts, Im Ready Jet rated 1:55.6 over 1720 metres.

Pleased with the three-year-old’s effort, Golino has earmarked the New South Wales Trotters’ Oaks on May 2 as Im Ready Jet’s next target.

“She has come back in great shape with three wins from her four starts this time in,” Golino said.

“She is getting better each time she steps out and should keep improving as she goes along.

“I’ll keep finding the right races for her and keep her ticking along quietly as we work towards in Sydney.”