By Adam Hamilton
Josh Dickie is pinching himself. As if just catching up with old boss and mate Tony Herlihy in Melbourne for a few weeks wasn’t enough of a buzz, he’s now snared a one-off drive on Bolt For Brilliance.
With Herlihy zapping back to NZ for Sunday’s stellar Addington meeting, he’s given Dickie the reins on Bolt For Brilliance in the last round of Inter Dominion qualifying heats at Geelong on Saturday night.
“It’s awesome. I can’t thank Tony enough,” Dickie said. “It’s great to get the chance to drive a trotter like this.”
Dickie is no stranger to Herlihy or top trotters. He worked for Herlihy for seven years and later drove his own family’s star trotter, Speeding Spur, to a string of major wins.
Bolt For Brilliance is looking to bounce back after a gear malfunction cost him winning his second round Inter Dominion heat at Shepparton last Tuesday night.
“As disappointing as that was, at least it was only a heat. Tony was absolutely chuffed with how he recovered and ran on after the trouble. To still get so close to winning was a huge effort,” Dickie said.
“Being up close with the horse, you can see him building through the series. He came across a few kilos over his, but he’s trimming up nicely.”
Bolt For Brilliance’s clash with Just Believe, who has easily won his two heats so far, is one of the highlights at Geelong.
Despite drawing directly outside Just Believe (gate one), Bolt For Brilliance is still a commanding $1.40 favourite.
“It’s great to have them clashing,” Dickie said. “There’s lots of scenarios about how the race could play out, I’ll just see what happens in the early stages.
“Just Believe has looked good, but he hasn’t met one as good as Bolt For Brilliance yet.”
Dickie will happily hand the reins back to Herlihy, who will chase his fifth Inter Dominion win as a driver in Saturday week’s final.
“It’s just a thrill to get to drive him in a heat,” he said. “I worked for Tony for seven years back home and to have him staying here and be able to catch-up has been fantastic.”