Harness racing: James Herbertson thrilled to see ‘gentleman' trainer Eddie Tappe finally has star horse
Herbertson will drive star Victorian mare Rakero Rebel in the $1m Inter Dominion final and is also part of the Australasian Young Drivers' Championship on the same night.
While many of the regular horses he drives will race at Melton on the same night, none are as exciting as emerging trotting star Im Bobby.
Herbertson is thrilled that after 45 years in the game, Im Bobby's veteran hobby trainer Eddie Tappe has found a star.
Tappe's patience on so many levels has been rewarded.
Firstly, to get a horse of his talent and then for Im Bobby to mature into the potential feature race player he is now.
'Eddie's a gentleman. He's one of those lovely, hard working blokes you're thrilled to see find a horse like this,' Herbertson said.
'He's had some nice ones go through the classes, but Im Bobby is headed towards the big trotting races.
'I'm glad he didn't go to this (Brisbane) Inter Dominion, but come next year, I'm confident he'll be in it and other top trotting races.'
Herbertson would know. He's driven Im Bobby eight times for five wins, two seconds and a third.
The 70-year-old Congupna-based Tappe, who trained and drove his first winner in 1979, has waited more than five years and 80 starts for Im Bobby to grab some serious attention.
It's come in spades this season with six wins and seven placings from just 15 starts and especially with the six-year-old's past two sparkling wins at Melton then Menangle.
Im Bobby will chase a hat-trick in the 1720m trotting free-for-all at Melton on Saturday night.
With Herbertson away, Im Bobby will have his eighth different driver in his past 15 starts with junior driver Tamsyn Potter taking the reins. She's driven him twice for two third placings.
'He's a nice horse on the track, but a real handful off it … and I mean a handful,' Herbertson said.
'He's as crazy a horse as I've seen in the parade ring and preparing to race, that's why Eddie's done such a great job with him and shown such patience.
'The talent has always been there, but we've had a plan to slowly build him up and drive him conservatively while he learns the ropes.
'It's paid off. Look how impressive he's been his past couple of wins.'
Despite drawing outside the front row (gate seven), Im Bobby is $2.60 favourite against five previous Inter Dominion contestants on Saturday night.
The other Melton feature is the pacing free-for-all (race three) where the Jess Tubbs-trained Fighter Command will continue his build-up towards the $2.1m TAB Eureka from an outside draw (gate seven).
The four-year-old will then head to the $80,000 Beautide in Hobart on August 2 where a win will secure him the Tasracing slot in the TAB Eureka at Menangle on September 6.
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