By Jonny Turner
An explosive performance from Love N The Port gave Phil Williamson a perfect weekend before it really got started.
The talented trotter returned to his best form for driver Matthew Williamson with an emphatic ten-length demolition of an intermediate grade field in race 3 at Addington on Friday night.
Brilliant during the New Zealand Cup Carnival, Love N The Port hadn’t shown his best in three starts after being freshened in January.
In his last outing at Addington, the four-year-old ran outwards and showed how trotters can even cause headaches for a master trainer like Phil Williamson.
“We had a murphy blind on – believe it or not he wears one at home all the time,” the trainer said.
“And he ran up the track when we had it on him last week.”
“So, obviously we took it off him and he was good.”
When Love N The Port bolted in to make it one starter for one big winner for the weekend for Williamson, the trainer was just happy to see his horse back to the form he knows he is capable of.
“That was what we have been waiting to see.”
“Though we were disappointed that he had a glitch last week Matt did say that he felt really good.”
While Love N The Port is back to his best, he won’t seen racing too much further in to the winter.
“We will just work through the next few weeks.”
“I did contemplate taking him to Auckland but his form wasn’t where I expected it to be, so he ended up staying home.”
“There have been a couple of quite nice races for him though.”
“We will probably pull the pin pretty shortly and focus on cup time.”
Love N The Port wasn’t the only impressive front running trotting winner at Addington on Friday night.
Veteran mare Bright Glow ran her rivals ragged in her 153nd start to notch her 12th career win for trainer Ian Cameron.
Dominion runner-up Mataderos bounced back to his best on the same night his stablemate Sundees Son shone at Alexandra Park, taking out race 7 for the Robert and Jenna Dunn stable.
Earlier this week another open class star stepped out at the trials for Phil Williamson.
Majestic Man had his first outing since spelling following his form tailing off at the end of his latest Australian campaign.
“I was happy enough with him, it was his first run back and he was way in need of a run.”
“He trotted a mile and a half (2400m) in about 3.11 which is good enough for his first hit out.”
“He will have another one in a couple of weeks and maybe one more.”
“Hopefully, if there are some races he can go in over winter time, we will give him a start or two because we are not looking forward to racing
Sundees Son, Bolt For Brilliance or Muscle Mountain anytime soon.”
Williamson said he wouldn’t be lining up Majestic Man until he showed he was back to his best.
