BATHURST trainer-driver Mat Rue knows his chances of snaring one of the major prizes in Saturday night's Gold Crown Carnival finale are not the greatest, yet his presence in three races holding Group status is alone an indication of how far he has come in the past 12 months.
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This time last year Rue was about to head to the United States of America to further his education in the sport.
Rue was by no means a rookie, having a Miracle Mile win on his resume and learning plenty while working for Team McCarthy, but he was planning for the future.
Now Rue has branched out on his own. He has moved on from the McCarthy's Cobbitty stables and trains his own small team of five at Georges Plains.
His talent in the gig still sees him pick up drives for other trainers, as will be the case in tonight's Gold Crown and Gold Bracelet finals.
Rue will drive Dubbo horse Karloo Damajor in the Group 1 Gold Crown Final (1730m) for Dubbo's Peter Gavin, the gelding likely to take a sit from barrier nine and look to run over the top of his rivals late.
He will also steer Lettucesomewhere in the Group 3 Gold Bracelet Final (2260m) for three-year-old fillies.
However it is the performance of Rue's own team that has pleased him most about his Gold Crown Carnival campaign.
The Rue-trained-and-driven Franco Hemmingway took out the Honouree Final on Wednesday night, while on Saturday he will be in the gig behind Lettuce Reign in the Group 1, $100,000 Gold Tiara Final (1730 metres) for two-year-old fillies.
She ran second in her heat last Thursday to earn a place in the final, something that is a good reward for Rue's persistence.
"She was quite difficult early on in her training. She used to do a lot of things wrong, so I had to spend quite a lot of time working with her to get her right," he said of the Jeremes Jet x Sweet As Reign filly.
Purchased by Paul Kahlefeldt at the Sydney Australian Pacing Gold Sale, Lettuce Reign continues an association Rue had already established with the owner.
"I've had a good run with Paul mainly through the driving. I was able to win the Group 1 APG [Australian Pacing Gold] colts and geldings final for him when I was working with Luke McCarthy. That was with Lettucerockthem," Rue said.
"It is nice I've got one of his to train now, that's for sure.
"I've sort of always had my trainer's licence and had one or two that I fiddled with when I was down in Sydney, but I never had a lot. Even now I've only got five.
"I've only really been doing it full-time since I got back from the United States, so that's about seven or eight months ago."
