Closing in on personal milestone
VETERAN trainer Paul Fitzpatrick is in a solid position to reach a personal milestone today.
With his tally sitting on 2799 wins, Fitzpatrick is expected to reach the next pending century with Sweet Strike at Club Menangle.
Fitzpatrick narrowly missed the mark at the world class venue last Saturday night when his promising filly Cocos Desire was beaten a short half-head in the Breeders' Challenge Eastern Region Final.
A highly-promising, yet injury-plagued, pacer, Sweet Strike is the early favourite in the Farmer Joes Chicken Pace despite drawing the outside of the front row.
The five-year-old returned from a 12-month break to score at Menangle on November 24 before a luckles fourth last week.
Sweet Strike made a successful debut in November 2024 before injury sidelined him for a year.
"He's had so many individual issues," Fitzpatrick said. "After his first run he got a sore back, which took eight months to get over.
"He was never a trouble getting going, and has always shown some pretty nice ability, but he just keeps going sore.
"It's always different things...just one individual problem after another.
"On quite a few times he's been ready to race, but kept going sore. Never in his legs though, just everything else!"
With his obvious ability shining through when in action, Sweet Strike is predicted to have little trouble overcoming barrier 10 over 1609 metres.
"He's drawn a bit wide, but I still give him a big chance," Fitzpatrick said. "Last week nothing went right for him, so you can pretty much draw a line through that run.
"One positive thing is the main dangers have drawn wide with him in eight (Sky Blue) and nine (The Devils Flame), so that helps."
Reflecting on his distinguished career, Fitzpatrick didn't hesitate in selecting the best he has trained - former champion Lombo Pocket Watch.
Boasting a long list of achievements, Lombo Pocket Watch's main claim to fame is becoming the first three-year-old in the southern hemisphere to earn $1million.
"I've been terribly lucky to have trained a lot of nice horses," Fitzpatrick said. " Quality types of all sorts be it sprinters, stayers, juveniles and so on.
"But Lombo Pocket Watch was a freak and will long be the best I've trained."
