Amid all the “Kiwi this” and “New Zealand that”, which has dominated much of the Summer Of Glory conversation, Brent Lilley’s strong stable is happy to wait in the shadows until show time on Saturday night.
Champion trotter Keystone Del will attempt to unseat New Zealand raiders Monbet and Speeding Spur in the Settle Windows and Doors Australian Trotting Grand Prix.
And 89 minutes later Messini will rip from barrier six to take the fight to Ohoka Punter and Smolda in the Del-Re National A. G. Hunter Cup.
Lilley’s runners are among the few Australian chances at single-figure odds in the betting, and the Bolinda trainer was looking forward to having his chargers return to the grand stage.
It will be familiar ground for five-time Group 1 winner Keystone Del, who Lilley said had “been going really well”.
“We have kept him a little on the fresh side lately because it will be 12 or so weeks from the start (of his campaign) to the Great Southern Star and he has a very busy schedule,” he said.
“He is the forgotten horse a little bit with Monbet, but it is a star-studded field.”
Lilley said the attention given to the favourite was not misguided.
“He’s all class Monbet. We will probably have an advantage, having been drawn inside him.
“Anthony (Butt) is a very good race driver and will try and place (Keystone Del) in the running. But it is not just Monbet, it’s Glenferrie Typhoon, Arboe, Speeding Spur and Kyvalley Blur is going very well and has a good draw.
“There are definitely half a dozen chances in the race. It is never ever easy and you expect to get competition, that is what it is all about. This is one of the best trotting fields we’re seen over here.”
There will be no excuses from Keystone Del’s camp.
“He’s ready to go. It’s so hard to always peak with all the group 1s over the next five to six weeks, but he’ll be more than competitive.”
Similarly, Messini is expected to give followers a good sight in the A. G. Hunter Cup, having performed admirably in last Saturday’s showcase.
“He went really good in the Victoria Cup,” Lilley said. “He made an early move, then got held up at the corner and hit the line full of running.
“It was a good run and I’m looking forward to this week. The 3200m and standing start don’t hold any worries.“
Drawn sixth, Messini could well be in the mix, but there is plenty of pace inside, not the least of all being Yankee Rockstar (barrier two), Ohoka Punter (barrier three) and Smolda (barrier five).
“Some of the better chances have drawn the front row. It will be interesting to see how it rolls out in the first 100m, we’ll be up among it,” Lilley said.
“In an ideal world we’d step to the front and stay there, but everyone on the front row is thinking the same.
“If we step good and get to the front of the field that would be great, but it’s a 3200m race and so there’s plenty of time to work into it.”
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