MOTT ON TARGET WITH VERDASCO

Bendigo trainer, Sean Mott, might not have a huge team to play with, but does plenty with what he’s got.
With only 11 starters since Christmas, eight have returned a cheque : two of them winners. The latest to salute is the Delago Brom 3YO, Verdasco, who scored a gutsy victory on his home track on Thursday (8 April) – his second career win from six starts.
And while that kind of strike rate might not be worth writing home to mum about, it’s worth keeping in mind that Verdasco had run third at Moonee Valley at his previous outing and only has only been out of the money once.
Purchased from the 2008 Inglis Melbourne Premier, Verdasco was bred by Jim Schembri and is out of the Canonise mare, Make The Grade.
A multiple winner, Make The Grade is the dam of four winners – including Melbourne stakes placed Ashtaroth and city winner Molexio – and is a half sister to stakes horse, Oceanfast, dam of brilliant Encosta de Lago filly Alinghi.
At the 2010 Inglis Melbourne Premier, Sean’s wife Deanna snapped up a Canny Lad colt from Born Western for $80,000 – one of the picks of the Eliza Park draft – and you can safely expect to see more of the Motts in the near future.