By Duane Ranger
Westport trainer Rodney Dickson has never trained a winner in the Taranaki region but that could all change at Hawera on Saturday and Monday.
In fact 42 of Dickson’s 47 lifetime winners have come in the South Island. The other five have all been at Manawatu Raceway.
Dickson, the father of Hunterville horseman, Scott, will line up three horses on both days of the Hawera Harness Racing Club’s meeting on the grass.
Idealagain, who last month provided Dickson with two of his three winners this season, is his best winning chance in race seven – the $7500 Farm Source Livestock Mobile for the R53 to R60 rated pacers.
Idealagain, who will be driven by junior reinsman Mark Johnson, has an R54 rating and has drawn ideally at four.
Dickson will also line up his only other winner this season – Lolita Franco in the sixth event – the $7,000 Trucking Mobile for the R49 to R53 rated pacers. Dickson’s son will do the driving behind the R51 rated mare.
Two-year-old Real Funny (R47) will make her race-day debut in the B.J. Towers Plumbing Mobile for the Up to R47 rated pacers.
“All three are with me on the ferry now. I can’t remember ever racing a horse at Hawera. I could have done a few years back, but it would be nice to record a win or two on the track. It’s a lovely little town,” Dickson said.
“I’m not coming up there for nothing,” he added.
He said Idealagain should make amends after blowing her last start at Methven earlier this month.
“She had them covered and should have won but skipped a few metres from the post and finished third. Ricky May drove her that day. She’s in real good form at the moment and both of her wins have come on the grass (Reefton and Westport),” Dickson said.
“Mark should give her every show from the nice draw,” he added.
He said Lolita Hanover was a runner’s chance and could get some of it on both days, but really liked his 2-year-old Grinfromeartoear bay filly – especially on the second day.
“She has a tough draw to contend with on Saturday (eight of eight) but is good enough to overcome it. I think she will be much better for Saturday’s run and I half expect her to win on day two. She has a bit of ability,” said Dickson.
Dickson said Real Funny qualified third behind two Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen juveniles (Make Mine Diamonds and Shenandoah) at Addington on March 27.
“She qualified by 2.6 seconds that day and has worked on well since. There’s no Purdon opposition on Saturday and I’d say she’s be up to that field, but I’d be more confident if she had a run under her belt. That’s why I think she can win on Monday,” the West Coaster said.
Dickson works a team of three at Westport. In a career spanning back to the early 1980s he has had 605 starters to the races for 47 wins, 123 placings and banked $253,659.
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