By Jordan Gerrans from Racing Queensland
The training team of Cristina Monte and Charlie Cini feel Jimartee is ready to run at his peak ahead of their long-awaited return to the Inter Dominion stage.
Jimartee will be one of three Queensland horses that will compete in the first heat of the series on Friday evening at Newcastle alongside Gus and Blacksadance.
The Jacobs Well-based Monte and Cini partnership only confirmed the gelding would take on the series on Sunday following his strong performance at Albion Park the night before.
It has been a long time between drinks at the ID Grand Circuit level for the husband-and-wife team.
They have been training together for around 40 years and Monte was quick to recall when Cini campaigned Butch’s Mate with success interstate back in 1989.
The veteran Sunshine State industry participants are eager to showcase Jimartee in the time-honoured series come Friday evening.
“This is why you work them to get a good one,” Cini said.
“He is good enough to be there so we need to give him his shot. He couldn’t have gone much better on Saturday night.”
Jimartee is yet to score in his three runs back from a break but the training team could not have been happier with his performances.
As harness analyst Darren Clayton reported earlier this week, Jimartee ran his own last 800 metres in a slick 53.98 seconds on Saturday night and will head into the ‘Inters’ with three eye-catching runs against his name.
The 61-year-old Monte is listed as the trainer for the speedy gelding and believes he will put his best foot forward come Friday night.
With regular reinsman Ricky Thurlow in the sulky, Jimartee has been handed a second row draw in the third heat from Newcastle on Friday evening over 2030 metres.
“He should be better again this week,” Monte said.
“We have brought him back earlier than expected from a spell and he generally goes better at his third start.
“He has been a really good horse to us. He pulled up well and ate up good following his run on Saturday night.”
The son of Sportswriter is part of an exclusive club of speed at Albion Park over the 1660 metre trip.
He is one of the few pacers who has paced a sub 1.50 mile rate.
Jimartee joined the club when seven-year-old scorched around ‘The Creek’ in 1.49.6 on July 20 of this year.
Just two starts later, the Monte-trained gelding again went sub-50, this time stomping out a 1.49.8 mile on August 10.
Albion Park track record holder and fellow ID hopeful Blacksadance is also in the ‘rare air’ club.
The Inter Dominion appears to be a wide open series in 2024 with superstar brothers Leap To Fame and Swayzee not in the field.
“We wouldn’t be going if we did not think he would be competitive,” Cini said.
“He is a good little racehorse and I am not saying he can beat them, but he will not disgrace himself.
“He is spot on with his condition after three runs back from the break. We could not get him going any better.”
The majority of the partnerships horses have been prepared in Cini’s name as the trainer over the years.
The form of Jimartee has put Monte’s name back up in lights just as they were in 2016 when Catcha Lefty won the Group 2 Queensland Derby.
Jimartee was previously prepared by Noel Hatcher in NSW before his connections – who bred him – decided to send him north to Monte.
Monte and Cini trained Vienna Boy – who is a half-brother to Jimartee – for the ownership team before he retired in late 2021.
“We have had horses with them for the last 15 or 16 years, they have been with us right through,” Monte said.
“They are very good owners.”
