By Jordan Gerrans
Rod Hilton travels wherever he thinks his stable can win a race.
On Saturday afternoon, it was up to Gympie, at times it is south of the border into NSW and later this year it will be to Doomben for the Country Stampede Final.
Hilton’s New Alliance, that he bred with his owners, the Clifford family, won through to the $75,000 Final via the Gympie qualifier, defeating last year’s CS champion Hard Stride, over 1030 metres in an Open Handicap on the sand.
It was over five hours from his Texas-based stable to Gympie on Saturday for Hilton and with a trip to Brisbane coming later this year, he believes that drive is no worries in comparison to some he makes with his gallopers.
“He is a very good traveller,” Hilton said of New Alliance.
“I go wherever I think I can win a race.”
For all of New Alliance’s 49 career starts, they have all been in Hilton’s name after he broke him in and has been there along the way for all 11 of his triumph’s.
Hilton and the Clifford’s raced Reformed, the mare New Alliance is from, before an injury ended her carry prematurely with just one career victory.
The experienced trainer believes they never saw the best of Reformed in her short time as a race horse.
By Swift Alliance, Hilton says the eight-year-old gelding has been slow to mature the entire way and while he does not describe him as classy, there is no doubt he is honest and consistent.
With four in work at his Texas barn, Hilton and usual stable rider Brendon Newport had plans to head to Birdsville with the bush sprinter but when that was taken off the table, the Country Stampede in early December was the next in line.