The 'Green Machine' in force at Menangle

13 June 2023

NO stable has been in better form in recent weeks.

And the Kerry and Dean McDowell training partnership is ready for another bumper day at Club Menangle today with several leading chances on the seven-race card.

And that’s a great result for up-and-coming young reinsman Lleyton Green, who has found a happy home working with the McDowells’ Mulgoa stable in western Sydney.

Green has a full book of drives at Menangle this afternoon with six of his seven drives for Team McDowell.

The best of those appears to be handy square-gaiter Maximus Meridius ($1.45) in Race 1, a Foundation heat for two-year-old trotters as well as Nick Of Time ($2.25) in Race 5, the Wards Accounting Group Pace.

Yet with McDowells preparing nine runners on the program, Green will also fancy his chances with a few of the stable’s lesser lights as well.

Race 6 could be theirs for the taking with three of the 10 runners, with Green nominated as the driver of their top hope, Skye Mary Mac, a $5 pop in early markets after drawing perfectly in gate two.

In-form reinsman Chris Geary will partner $51 outsider Chezmac, a last-start Penrith winner while veteran horseman Glenn McElhinney will be aboard $34 chance Kezzamac, who is not without a chance either.

Green will be on another well-backed runner Weareallalone ($4.50) in Race 4 and Geary has also been called into play to handle their other runner in that race All Star Magician ($17).

It’s a measure of Green’s standing in the sport that leading trainer Blake Fitzpatrick has called on him to handle one of his runners Simone Lindenny ($10) in Race 3, making use of the young reinsman’s claim to get the former Kiwi mare into the race.

The well-bred square-gaiter had her first Menangle start last week and after galloping out of the gate took no competitive part and finished tailed off in the race won by Thebestbourbon.

Yet she finished a close second to Watts Up Partytime in a Menangle trial on May 24 and beat some handy horses home that day, including two horses favoured to score today, Maximums Meridius in race 1 and Albizia in Race 3.

Simone Lindenny arrived here with an impressive New Zealand record with  six wins from 24 starts, although five of those wins were from standing starts, suggesting the mobile barrier may still be her major hurdle to success.