ALCHIN IS THE FASTEST IN THE INAUGURAL SKY SPRINT SERIES

Fresh from driving two winners at Newcastle in the Sky Sprint Finals at Newcastle on Saturday night, Jarrod Alchin is hoping for his success to continue this weekend. The young trainer/driver will head back to Newcastle on Saturday night hoping to qualify last week's winner Deadsetlucky for the Inter City Pace. Alchin has taken over the training of the four year old for the immediate future and he is looking forward to this week's challenge.

"David Kennedy is Deadsetlucky's trainer but with him heading off to Victoria for a race with his good filly Ima Lucky Girl he has transferred the horse into my name" Alchin said.

"I'm not sure how long it will be for. I guess it just depends on if he qualifies for the Inter City at Maitland. David is doing a lot of travelling at the moment and it makes it easier on the horse if he is stabled with me in Sydney."

Deadsetlucky accounted for his rivals in the $30,000 sprint series final last week despite carrying a buckled wheel for the entire trip. The effort surprised Alchin, who thought the horse was in trouble 400 metres from home.

"Snowchain galloped on our outside at the start and he contacted the wheel. It was lucky that he struck it near the valve otherwise the tube would have come out and it may have become caught around the wheel."

"I just thought the tyre was flat so I sat on the other side of the sulky as much as I could and when he dropped the bit down the back straight I thought he was gone and had done a good job to lead until there but then I slapped the mudsheet and he found another gear and ran away from them."

Alchin is surprised by how well the gelding has pulled up since the race.

"He was entitled to be a little flat after pulling the buckled wheel for so long but he has been really well since and I think he will take some beating on Saturday night."

"Although there was plenty of rain on Saturday night at Newcastle, the water didn't really soak into the track and it stayed on the surface rather than going into the track and making it all slushy and muddy so the track itself didn't take anything out of him at all."

"I believe David (Kennedy) is going to take Deadsetlucky down to Victoria for the Vicbred series if he continues his good form in the near future."

HRNSW's initiative to run a sprint series with heats at Penrith, Bankstown and Menangle with the finals at Newcastle has been well received by the participants including Alchin.

"A new idea always seems better when you win a couple of the finals but the series is good and really suits those horses with good gate speed that can put themselves into the race early."

Mega Alexander won the C1 Sky Sprint Final and Alchin was pleased to be confirmed as the four year old's driver.

"After I won the final the owner came up to me and told me I would be his regular driver. He is a nice horse and has tremendous gate speed."

"The horse is in at Menangle on Friday but there is a good Queenslander in the race so it should make the race interesting."

It won't be the only drive that Alchin has at Menangle's first twilight meeting on Friday. He also has his smart trotter Earldom engaged in race one. The event will be run over a mile and Earldom has drawn gate five.

"He has just been such a good horse for me. He had his first start for me back in August 2008 and I think he has only missed a cheque once when he has trotted the entire trip, he is just an honest horse."

"He did a great job at Menangle last time out. I ended up three back on the pegs and both Sunny Elegant and The Windsurfer got a long way in front of me when I was in a bit of traffic but when he got out he made up a couple of lengths on both of them."

"He isn't as classy as those two but he gives 100% and that is what is important."

What makes Earldom even more special to Alchin is that his girlfriend Stephanie Walker owns it. Stephanie is the daughter of leading Temora trainer Ray Walker.

"I think he has won $50,000 now and we have just bought a house so he has made some regular house repayments for us."


FLITE DYNASTY'S TAKEOFF ABORTED

Former star juvenile Flite Dynasty was expected to make his return to the race track this Saturday night in the heats of the Inter City Pace at Newcastle but the son of John Street North will not take his place in race eight after pulling up lame on Tuesday.

It's a frustrating setback for trainer Ross Adams who was hoping to have the five year old back at the races.
"He hoppled yesterday and pulled up lame" Adams said.

"It's in his good leg which is a bit of a concern. We have had it looked at by the vet and they cant find anything structurally wrong so I think it might be something high up in his leg in the muscle."

Flite Dynasty burst onto the scene in the middle of 2007 after taking out the New South Wales Sires Stakes for two year old colts and geldings defeating subsequent New South Wales Derby winner Beach Fighter and Queensland Derby winner Standelle.

He didn't finish out of a place in his three year old season and his best effort saw him record a tough second in the Victoria Derby behind Tanabi Bromac beaten less than a length.

Flite Dynasty has not raced since finishing third behind Mark Joseph at Harold Park in the Simpson Memorial in April 2008. The horse was then scratched from the New South Wales Derby heats when Adams identified a tendon problem.