READY CASH entire Always Ready franked his credentials as a sire with a second group 1 victory in the $100,000 VICBRED SUPER SERIES 4yo male final, 2240m, at Melton on Thursday, December 31.
Always Ready will join the Haras Des Trotteurs stallion roster next breeding season.
He will be the first Australian-bred son of champion French sire Ready Cash to stand at stud.
Always Ready led home a Yabby Dam Farms-bred quinella with Orlando Vici gelding Brandlo Prince, which flashed home to finish within a half head.
Reinsman Jason Lee took Always Ready into the deathseat after being caught three-wide midfield from his second row draw.
He momentarily thought he might get the lead.
Once we were rolling forward the speed wasn’t overly quick and I probably thought for a couple of seconds maybe we will cut loose and try and catch them napping, but Kylie (Sugars on leader Sammy Showdown) saw us and that opportunity had gone,” Lee told Trots Vision.
“So we were probably best to turn it into a dash home and our fella’s real quick, so that was the next aim.”
He rated 1:59.3 with his last two 400m sections in 29.2 and 27.7 seconds.
Always Ready provided a training triumph for Anton Golino and Jack MacKinnon at Yabby Dam Racing’s Cardigan stable, with him having missed his entire three-year-old season after suffering a leg injury.
Always Ready won four of eight starts as a two-year-old
He took out the group 1 Vicbred Super Series 2yo final and Tatlow Stakes, and finished second in the group 1 Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic and Redwood Classic, and third in the Breeders Crown.
Always Ready did not re-appear after rounding out his 2yo campaign in August, 2018, until March, 2020.
He was eased back, winning his first five runs back and going into the VSS has won the Breeders Crown 4yo Championship.
Always Ready now has the record of 15 wins in 23 starts for $226,000 in stakes.
He gave the new training partnership of Golino and MacKinnon its second group 1 win - having scored with Im Ready Jet in the Breeders Crown 3yo fillies’ final.