A TOUCH OF FROST
HOW A TROTTING LEGEND HELPED TAME A RACECOURSE ROGUE
TROTS LEGEND WINS
IT’S taken a two-month stint training on legendary horseman Vic Frost’s trotting machines for rogue thoroughbred Ditmas to reach the races.
Rogue wasn’t the exact word used by Mandy Jupp, the business partner of trainer Mel Eggleston, to describe the gelding who constantly played up over the course of a four-yearjourney that led Ditmas to winning on debut at the Gold Coast on Saturday.
Eggleston had previously nominated Ditmas twice but pulled him out both times after getting poor blood results back and then suffering a leg injury ahead of the second. Enter Frost.
Frost, who won the Inter Dominion and Miracle Mile (twice) with the champion Westburn Grant in a stunning harness racing career, was approached by friend and radio personality Adrian Johnston to see if he could get Ditmas race ready by trotting him at his stables.
Frost, 77, has a property at Sleepy Hollow, near Mooball on the NSW north coast.
“Adrian said he had a horse that was broken down and hadn’t been to the races yet,” Frost said.
“He asked if I’d take it for a while and work on it.
“We had him down there for a couple of months at our stables, where we have a track and the beach.
“We worked him along there with the trotters and he fitted in quite good.
“It was great to see him win and I hope he keeps on improving.”
Ditmas was stabled next to Westburn Grant during his stay and despite Frost’s success with the first thoroughbred he has “trained”, he said he wasn’t tempted to take him to the trots.
“He probably wouldn't go any good at trotting,’’ Frost said.
The connections were so thrilled with Frost’s ability to improve Ditmas that they added him to the list of owners.
Frost has won Australia’s great harness racing events but he still took great out of Ditmas’s win in the Colts, Geldings and Entires Maiden Handicap (1100m) on Saturday.