Al rapt as Trojan Banner mixes it with the older free-or-all pacers in super trial

Trojan Banner allayed any fears trainer Al Barnes might have had over a recent injury hiccup when he trialled in super fashion at Albion Park today.

“On what he did today he’s ready to race,’’ said Barnes after Trojan Banner mixed it with some of the state’s tough free-for-allers.

Barnes pitched the little three-year-old against six older and far better performed pacers over 1660 metres, keen to get a guide on where his fitness lay after he hurt himself playing in his box and missed last Saturday night’s Redcliffe Derby.

The answer was emphatic as Trojan Banner powered to the line to be beaten just a metre by 16-race winner Mattgregor, closing in fast sectionals of 54.5 and 26.9.

Trojan Banner left 22 race winner Sams The Master eight metres behind, with Major Cam (19 wins) another 2.5 metres further away in fourth.

“He had some good tough horses behind him, horses who are on target for the winter carnival, so his run was super. I couldn’t fault it.’’

Trojan Banner started from the second row but quickly settled third, before moving out to park when pacemaker Mattgregor threw in a slow 31.2 second quarter.

Trojan Banner finishes right alongside free-for-aller Mattgregor in today’s trial at Albion Park.With the extra pressure he applied, the third quarter was run in 27.6 and that’s where Barnes says he was most excited for his little black.

“If you watch closely you can see it looks like he’s struggling at the 400 but we used pull down blinds today for the first time and when Hayden activated them he dashed up beside Mattgregor and tried all the way to the line.

“Considering his fitness is below par it was a very good trial. He did everything we wanted.

“I would like to have seen a more even tempo but he had a hard hitout, which is what I wanted, without putting him in a race situation.’’

The heat was run in 1:59, a very respectable mile rate of 1:55.4, just one tenth of a second slower than Trojan Banner clocked when winning the last time he raced at Albion Park two starts back.

Barnes was a little worried before the heat that an area where Trojan Banner lost skin in last week’s mishap, when he got his leg over a high window in his box, was quite close to his knee boot. But it didn’t worry the colt at all and Barnes is now confident the horse is on target for his first big assignment, the Group III A$31,400 South East Derby (2138m) on Saturday fortnight.

“The little fella just keeps on improving and he’ll earn a cheque in the derby, but what colour cheque we don’t know, it will all come down to the draw.’’

Barnes now has a decision to make on whether to trial Trojan Banner again next Tuesday, and keep his six-race winning streak intact for the derby, or race him in the JC McMullen, formerly known as the Premier’s Cup, on Saturday week, a c2 to c5 event where he would meet some talented older horses.

Barnes knows the going is about to get tough anyway with the All Stars’ talented pair Jesse Duke and Self Assured both down to start their Queensland carnival in a three-year-old event at Albion Park on Saturday night.