Gatt Plotting Paws ‘Party'

NEWLY crowned Wentworth Park premier trainer Mark Gatt is aiming to start 2018 in a blaze of glory when comeback star Ritza Lenny and Victorian recruit It's A Party contest Saturday night's Group 1 Ladbrokes Paws Of Thunder Final.

Gatt claimed his first Metropolitan Trainers Premiership last year, but surprisingly his solitary Group 1 success to date remains Oaks Road's victory in the 2012 Perth Cup.

But after claiming a sub-30 Paws Of Thunder heat double, courtesy of Ritza Lenny and It's A Party, the 38-year-old Thirlmere mentor reckons he's due for number two.

"I haven't had a runner in a Group 1 for a while, let alone two, so I was rapt," Gatt said.

Gatt's most recent Group victory came when Paws finalist Ritza Lenny, a June '14 son of Barcia Bale and Lagoon Lowanna, won the Group 2 Bob Payne Spring Sprint in September, 2016.

A multiple Group 1 finalist, finishing third in the Peter Mosman and Dapto Megastar in 2016, Ritza Lenny is on the comeback trail, having spent eight months on the sidelines after being injured in last year's Golden Easter Egg semi-finals.

After resuming with two wins from three starts, including a 29.85 success at Wentworth Park, Ritza Lenny started joint $2.60 favourite in the sixth Paws heat and he stormed home to beat Little Nangar by 1.75 lengths in 29.97, his 22^nd win from 47 starts.

"He hurt a tendon at the back of his toe and had to have the whole toe taken off," Gatt explained.

"You're a bit sceptical about how they'll come back, but after a while he started belting around the paddock really well and his first trial back at Appin he went as quick as he's ever gone.

"The Paws was always the plan. He broke a couple of track records in trials on the way through – he was flying – and he was going to be ready for 500 metres at the start of the January, so the Paws fitted in perfectly.

"He didn't begin well in his heat, which happens nine times out of ten, but he punched up really well and got into a good spot. He set out after the leader and I thought it was a really good run."

While Ritza Lenny was injured, Gatt took the opportunity to serve several bitches; Socozie, Withcott Miracle and Gatt's four-time Group winner Ritza Hattie.

"Ritza Hattie is in pup to Ritza Lenny. It will be the first fully home-bred ‘Ritza' litter we've bred," Gatt offered proudly.

"Socozie has thrown fast dogs in every litter and she had two male pups to Ritza Lenny. The other litter was to Withcott Miracle, which is a litter sister to a dog I used to train called Freddy Diesel. She had eight pups."

Recent Victorian import It's A Party, a well-travelled July '15 son of Jagger Swagger and It's A Blur, then completed a heat-to-heat double for Gatt, scoring in very similar fashion to Ritza Lenny.

After starting his career in Tasmania, It's A Party returned to Victoria in late 2017, before Gatt took over the reins for his Paws Of Thunder assault.

It's A Party won first-up at Wentworth Park in 29.99 and then started $3.30 favourite from box eight in the penultimate heat, where he unleashed a powerful finishing burst to run down Black Hole Sun, scoring by 1.25 lengths in 29.95 to claim his 16^th win from 26 starts.

"Wayne Vassallo was pre-training It's A Party and he had an opinion of him, but he lacked early pace, so Wayne sent him down to Russell Watts in Tasmania to get a bit of confidence, which he did," Gatt said.

"Wayne got him back and he ran 29.66 at Sandown. Then one night at Ballarat he blew the start but went around them and blew them away. I rang Wayne up to say what a huge run it was and then Wayne rang me back a couple of weeks later to say they were thinking about sending him up for the Paws Of Thunder.

"He got here three weeks before the heats, so he had two trials and a race at Wentworth Park and really settled in well.

"I thought his heat win was enormous. He really hit the line. He ran home in 11.68, which was a tenth quicker than Ritza Lenny."

Gatt's duo have both drawn the same boxes as they had in their heats for the $75,000 to-the-winner final, with Ritza Lenny a $7.50 chance with Ladbrokes from box three, shading It's  A Party at $8 from box eight.

"Both of mine are going to need luck," Gatt said.

"There's really nothing between them, but I would lean towards Ritza Lenny, just because he's drawn closer to the fence. But if It's A Party can get across I might be changing my mind pretty quickly!

"I know It's A Party can handle the box, but it's a different race this week. He's run 5.60 to the peg both times, so I'm hoping he can get down to 5.50 and lob third or fourth. If he does, he'll be in the finish because he's as strong as a bull."