NZ HARNESS NEWS
Connections will resist the temptation to make a late nomination payment for exciting trotter Ronald J to enter the Dominion Handicap in 16 days’ time.
His trainer, Paul Nairn, confirmed the decision today, citing the bigger picture and the horse’s development as the reasons.
“He’s only a five-year-old and he’s the type of horse that, really, is just coming to it now.
“I think two hard runs in three days would be too much for him and, at this stage, the mobile Free For All on Cup Day will suit him better.”
“He’s a good mobile start horse; he gets out of the gate good and won well from behind it at Addington the start before Kaikoura.”
Ronald J, a winner of seven of his 11 starts, stepped up to the big time with a good performance for third in the Gr. 3 South Bay Trotters Cup at Kaikoura on Monday.
He sat four back on the pegs and steamed home through the middle late for a close-up third behind Bordeaux and stablemate The Foot Tapper.
It wasn’t enough to convince Nairn to get connections to pay the $8,625 late payment fee for the $300,000 Dominion on November 17, though.
“He had a nice soft run back on the markers and was probably entitled to work home good.
“He went very well, and fair enough, if we had known he was going to develop like this we may have nominated him the Dominion at the start.
“But we will just stick to the Free For All now.”
Ronald J is actually down to race again at Addington on Friday night, where he will take on Southland mare Dark Horse from the standing start.
“I was never intending to race him twice in a week but he didn’t have a gut-busting run at Kaikoura and wasn’t tired.
“Provided he’s in a good space on race morning he will be ok to go around again.”
Bob Butt stepped in for regular driver Stacey Whatuira at Kaikoura, the latter ineligible to drive in the Group race due to not having driven 15 career winners yet.
Butt retains the drive this week as he will be in the cart in the Group 1 $100,000 New Zealand Trotting Free For All on November 14.
Whatuira and Ronald J have forged a good relationship to date, winning seven races from nine starts together and being disqualified in the other two for galloping infractions.
“She’s done a great job with him and a lot of credit has to go to her for how well the horse is going,” said Nairn.
“She knows how he trots and gets the best out of him.”
Nairn will still have four runners in the Dominion Handicap after The Foot Tapper elevated himself to 12th spot in the latest rankings with his Kaikoura placing.
He joins the established trio of Habibti Ivy, Wilma’s Mate and One Over Da Moon to give Nairn an exceedingly strong hand in the feature.
Habibti Ivy, an excellent fast-finishing second in the Ashburton Trotters Flying Mile last Monday, is a $4.80 third favourite while The Foot Tapper is the next best-fancied of his contingent at $21.
Great Things Happen and Bordeaux are equal $3.70 favourites for the two-mile feature, which was won last year by champion trotter Monbet.
Many of history’s greatest trotters have won the Dominion Handicap in its 106-year history – I Can Doosit, Lyell Creek, Stig, Take A Moment, Sundon, Scotch Tar and Basil Dean among them.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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