Another roll at the Trot Rods for Clayton stable

By Jordan Gerrans

Already a Trot Rods heat winner earlier in his career, Matthew Clayton’s One Last Roll heads back to ‘The Triangle’ on Wednesday evening aiming to set the early benchmark time for the 2025 campaign.

The popular series commenced last Wednesday night at Redcliffe with Ben Battle’s Beef City Starzzz claiming the opening heat, which was enough to set the early time marker.

The nine-year-old gelding scored in 66.51 seconds.

Clayton’s One Last Roll has drawn the inside alley in the first of the two heats around the Triangle complex for this week’s events.

The gelding was successful in the fifth heat of the fast and furious series last year in 65.49 seconds.

One Last Roll has not won since December of last year but has been racing consistently at Redcliffe and Marburg, most recently taking part in the Goldstrike series.

The pacer finished seventh in the consolation race for Marburg’s Goldstrike series in his most recent outing but had been racing well in last five prior efforts.

Clayton has booked up-and-coming concession reinsman Layne Dwyer for Wednesday’s 947 metre assignment.

“His form outside of the other day when I drove him at Marburg has been not too bad,” the 43-year-old horseman said.

“He ran along a bit that day at Marburg in the standing start consolation race. He has good form over the longer trip at Redcliffe, as well.

“The shorter trip at Redcliffe, one lap, he has got good gate speed and he can maintain his speed for a little bit – this race suits him in all honesty.

“He likes to be up on the bit travelling and the way Layne drives, that is his way, as well.”

Based at Haigslea, Clayton will have two opportunities to set the fastest time in the 2025 Trot Rods campaign on Wednesday with stablemate Whos Watching Lily tackling the second of the two heats.

The mare previously raced in Victoria and has won on three occasions since transferring north to Clayton’s barn, with the trainer describing her as a cheap purchase for his group of owners.

Of those three triumphs, two have come at Redcliffe with the other at Marburg.

Whos Watching Lily has not placed in her last five starts since winning at Marburg in early March.

The five-year-old and reinsman Leonard Cain will face a tough assignment from the outside barrier on Wednesday.

“Since I have had her, we have had our issues with her,” Clayton said.

“She has done an ok job for us. She had blistering gate speed when she was racing in Melbourne but in this race, everything underneath her has got the speed, as well.

“Leonard will need to go back and see if he can run on over the sprint trip.”

As well as One Last Roll’s heat victory last year, Clayton took the gelding to the finale showcase meeting where he finished third.

Shannon Price and Nathan Rothwell claimed the 2024 Trot Rods prize when Hold Onto Ya Bling stole the show late in the piece on the finale program, scoring in 63.86 seconds to hand the trainer and driver their first title in the popular short-course series.

The 2024 campaign was the first time Clayton had targeted his horses towards the event and says he is keen to be back this year.

“It is something different with five horses in the field and you are racing for good money,” the trainer said.

“Obviously it is not going to suit every horse but if it happens to suit your horse, you can pick up good coin and not have to beat a big field of horses.”

Clayton has revitalized his stable over the last couple of years after taking a decade off training.

The conditioner has a handful in work.

Clayton did not prepare a team of horses between 2013 and 2023 but made a flying return last year, training a dozen winners in 2024.

The horseman says he is loving being back in the sport on a consistent basis as well as still working full-time in the golf industry.

One Last Roll has been a stable star since Clayton returned to the game, winning 10 races and being placed on 17 more occasions.