By Michael Guerin
A $US1million shot at the world’s best trotters looks increasingly unlikely for New Zealand hero Stent this year.
But co-trainer Colin De Filippi says that doesn’t mean a trip to North America next season is off the cards.
Stent was being touted as a potential entrant for the US$1million International Trot at Yonkers in New York on October 10.
The once great race is returning to the New York harness racing calendar and with US$1million stakes rare in harness racing it is likely to attract many of the world’s best.
Stent’s owner Trevor Casey has been in touch with Yonkers officials and the Canterbury trotter would have been welcomed into the race for his promotional value alone after dominating open class trotting in Australasia last season.
But while De Filippi says the trip would be the opportunity of a lifetime, he is 95 per cent certain it won’t go head.
“I think it will come around too soon this year,” said De Filippi.
“He raced quite late into the season last term and has only been back up a month.
“And you would want to go there when you had more time to prepare, maybe even race before and get more used to things.
“Also we would have to weigh up the risks and what he can race for here.”
Stent won a remarkable $640,000 with his 13 wins from 19 starts last season and with few open class stars emerging in the trotting ranks he could win close to that amount again.
“So he will probably stay here and follow a similar pattern to last season and then if he is holding his form and racing well next autumn maybe we would look at it again.”
De Filippi and his wife Julie have already trained a New Zealand Cup winner in Kym’s Girl and have now been to the top of Australasian trotting with Stent so the popular horseman says a North American campaign would cap his career.
“I think it would be an amazing experience and all going well I’d love to go up there with this horse for three months,” he says.
“So the idea definitely isn’t dead in the water.”
Stent won’t race again until later next month but should secure a couple of victories before then as he looks certain to win Trotter of the Year at the annual dinner in Christchurch on Saturday night.
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