By Duane Ranger
Super heroes will converge on New Plymouth Racecourse tomorrow (Thursday) and patrons will be hoping one such hero can see into the future.
If he or she can do just that, then punters stand to win $150,000. That’s how much the Taranaki Trotting Club’s Pick6 will pay thanks to a $70,000 carry-over from Motukarara last week.
Club secretary Carey Hobbs said it was ‘children’s day’ at the twilight meeting, and encouraged as many kids (and adults) as possible to come dressed in their super hero uniforms.
“There will be more than quality racing. There will be prizes up for grabs for the kids and there will also be Kidz Kartz races and a celebrity sulky event,” Hobbs said.
Racing-wise, the feature event is the $10,000 Woodlands Stud Taranaki Breeders Stakes for the 3-year-and-older R61-plus fillies and mares.
It is the fifth leg of Pick6 and will be raced over the 1750m mobile.
A similar $7,500 event will also be staged on Sunday at the Hawera meeting. It is a 1900m mobile.
“Joining forces with Hawera was a positive move. Woodlands Stud has been a big supporter of ours for many years. We have gone above the minimum stake for this race and we are appreciative to everyone for their support,” Hobbs said.
The Geoff Small trained and David Butcher driven 4-year-old mare, Ladytoro (Sands A Flyin – Lady President) won last year’s edition of the Breeders Stakes on the New Plymouth grass.
That event was raced on April 3 and she started from gate nine of nine. Ladytoro was the $4.90 second favourite.
Small doesn’t have a representative in this year’s Breeders Stakes, but Butcher will drive the Roger Villiger trained Spare Change from a rough draw (8).
Toughest for him to beat will be the Steve Telfer/Chris Garlick trained and Andre Poutama driven Rocknroll Princess (5).
Butcher does have better winning chances in the first, second and fourth legs of Pick6 when he teams up three horses he trains at Cambridge.
Larch (R3) has placed in his last three Cambridge Raceway starts; Chrissie Jet was a nice second two starts back at Manawatu; and Lynton Creek, ran an encouraging third, fourth, and third at Manawatu (third), and then at Cambridge Raceway.
None of the 10 runners in the field have won at New Plymouth and the Fred Mitchell trained Aces N Eights (Kyle Marshall) is the only horse to have placed on the track.
It’s also worth noting that the Todd Macfarlane trained and driven Millview Sienna, and the Sean McCaffrey and Ross Paynter trained Sweet Maggie Ryan (Scott Phelan) are unbeaten on grass.
The former mare has a one-from-one strike rate, while the latter has won two from two on the green surface.
HRNZ’s Trot Tech selections to help you with Pick6 are:
Race 3: Speedy Earl (1), Loki Brogden (8), Larch (3).
Race 4: Collection (1), Strawb’s Chippie (9), Chrissie Jet (11), Trixie Bromac (6).
Race 5: Shantahlia Knight (2), This Excuse Is Fine (10), Kate Jackson (13).
Race 6: Snow Raker (4), Everything (9), Tuherbs Two (1), Janron (11).
Race 7: Rocknroll Princess (5), Alta Valencia (2), Sweet Maggie Ryan (9), Millview Sienna (6).
Race 8: Magnum Rose (7), Anakena (1), Bubbles O’Leary (3), Mimoza (4).
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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