Middle Distance Romp Sets Tongues Wagging

ROYALLY bred Spiderbait made his 600m debut at Albion Park on Monday night and convinced trainer Warren Nicholls his plan to step him up in distance was proven right.

The son of Black Magic Opal and Velocity Bettina led throughout after a scorching 9.77 first section and downed a 600m 5th Grade field in a flying 34.79.

He won by almost 13 lengths.

And litter sister Portman's Lass had also won on the program, running 30.29 in a Novice over 520m.

“The dog went super,” said Warren.

“His first section was amazing and I had to get him to 600 metres to allow him to get to the front.

“If you watch his replays, he has been finding that little bit of trouble out of the boxes over 500.”

Warren trains the littermates for the Three Blind Mice Syndicate who shared ownership with Steve Williams of dam Velocity Bettina (17 wins, $163,000) the winner of the G3 Golden Sands, G3 Super Stayers, The Dashing Corsair, the Ipswich Futurity and Ipswich Grand Prix. She was second in the Group 1 Queensland Cup.

“Steve Scott was rearing the pups and when he decided to quit and head north, he suggested to the owners I be given them to train,” said Warren.

“I jumped at the chance to get them.

Despite how impressive Spiderbait was last night, the bitch (Portman's Lass) is stronger and will be a very nice stayer.”

But Warren laments a breathing problem he has with another of the litter.

“It's a dog called Genome,” he said.

“The problem with him is he does not breath in a race or trial on a racetrack.

“By the time he has finished, he has near collapsed. But, over the shorts the dog is an absolute jet.

“We are very confident he will overcome the trait but he will be restricted to sprints until he does.”

Warren also reports owner Clint Gill has bought a straw for boom young sire Hooked On Scotch to use on the Nicholls-trained former staying star Days Of Thunder (Fernando Bale-Melissa's Pride).

The bitch was a multiple Group performer during her race career when pone of the country's best stayers.

Days Of Thunder's dam, is intensely in-bred to the famed Leprechaun Miss family and Hooked On Scotch's current stars, Postman Pat, King Of Aces, Rejuvenate, Hot Scotch are all out of the same damline influence.