Welcome to Trillian Trust Auckland Cup night 2015 from Alexandra Park.
We’ve got a massive night of racing in front of us with three Group One races and a Listed $200,000 event so there is plenty whet the appetite as we farewell 2015.
All the talk around tonight have centered around our feature, the Auckland Cup and the majority of that is about Have Faith In Me and whether or not he will step away from the stand start for the first time in his career and whether or not Hughie Green will fully announce himself as an open class star of the future.
You can read more about that situation here: http://www.hrnz.co.nz/news-and-events/latest-news/3744-the-50-50-chance-of-the-auckland-cup
Another highlight of the night will be the return of rising trotting superstar Monbet as he squares off with the more established Stent in the Group One National Trot. The Greg and Nina Hope trained runner will have to overcome a second line draw if he is to back up his Lyell Creek Stakes victory, but plenty of pundits are predicting he will.
Michael Guerin sums up the feature trot in his article which can be found here: http://www.hrnz.co.nz/news-and-events/latest-news/3743-monbet-out-to-shine-again
We will be providing coverage throughout the night as things progress so sit back and enjoy the coverage.
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Dexter Dunn struck first blood on Auckland Cup night when Moonrock won the PGG Wrightson Yearling Sales Consolation.
The Michael House trained pacer enjoyed a nice run in the trail before angling off around the final bend to get the win narrowly over a brave Dark Energy with Kenrick finishing in third.
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A $12,000 purchase from the weanling sale, Billy Badger has paid back his purchase price already.
And if Robert Dunn has his way, he’ll just keep on adding to the coffers this season and then into the next. The Art Major colt out of Lady Antebellum showed true grit to hold off a determined Pacing Major to win the second heat of the Breckon Young Gun Series.
“We’ve liked everything about him from day one,” Dunn said.
“Kelly Blakemore did the early work with him in terms of getting his mouth and stuff right through leading him and then Jeremy Young did the rest and Jeremy declared that he liked him almost immediatley.
“He’s an Art Major who walks like Charlie Chaplin, he doesn’t wear knee boots and is just a beautiful wee pacer.”
Billy Badger surprised Dunn tonight by peeling off a 26 quarter over his closing sectional.
“I didn’t think he had one that quick in him to be fair, I always thought he was more of a staying type.”
The two-year-old colt is raced by Ross and Angela Gordon.
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When you look at the way he won tonight against horses, it’s hard to imagine it took Mastercraftsman four starts to win his first race.
But the Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen trained pacer did so tonight, in impressive fashion against horses who had won three, four, five and even six races as opposed to his none.
Rasmussen, who did the driving duties, said there was a hairy moment on the home turn when the Bettor’s Delight gelding paced a little roughly but she drove him through it and he stormed to the line to beat stablemate Bevan’s Cullen and Pepe Bromac.
“He can do the odd thing wrong but he’s going to be alright.
“We didn’t push him as a two-year-old because he was a little naughty so we just gave him a little more time.
“I think he will win a few more races, but they might not be for us I would imagine his future might be in Australia.”
The win of Mastercraftsman could be the beginning of a big night for his owners, Neil Pilcher and Trevor Casey who have plenty of chances later in the night with horses like Smolda and Lazarus.
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Good things come to those who wait. And the team behind Eyre I Come have waited quite a while.
You have to go back to Cup Day last year (2014 for anyone reading this on January 1) to find the last victory by the talented gelding where he won the opening fixture – the two mile trot for intermediate grade squaregaiters.
There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then for trainer, Mark Jones and the gelding’s owners Merv and Meg Butterworth and Grant Hatton. And most of that has been sweat and tears of frustration as the talented five-year-old went through a really bizarre patch of form.
But tonight he looked more like his old self as he strode to the lead with a lap left to run and then cleared a way at the top of the straight for Blair Orange to win impressively. And while horse talent is paramount, a lot of the credit needs to go to Orange for his masterful drive.
“A few times he’s been really travelling and I’ve asked him for a bit more and there has been nothing left, so I tried to kid to him a bit tonight and just let him feel like he was running through the bit and it worked,” Orange said.
“He felt really good tonight though, a little bit more like his old self which is encouraging.”
Orange had a little relief of his own with the victory as it ended a frustrating little period for the talented horseman.
Despite a large number of drives since, Orange hadn’t saluted the judge since winning on Livadia at Rangiora on December 20.
Mark Jones stable rep, Regan Todd said the victory was a great result for the Butterworth’s and Grant Hatton who have been patient and understanding as the Overport Lodge team have tried to figure Eyre I Come out.
“It’s been pretty frustrating, he’s a good horse when he’s right.
“Hopefully we are back on the right track now.”
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The ineivtable clash between Australasia’s two best three-year-old fillies will remain on ice for as long as possible.
But when Golden Goddess and Dream About Me finally do lock horns, the battle is set to be one of quite epic proportions.
The former was simply outstanding winning the Group One Alabar Sires’ Stakes 3YO Fillies Championship after negotiating some early traffic problems to find the spot outside the leader in New Zealand record time before clearing away to win her fourth race in succession.
In the hands of co-trainer Natalie Rasmussen the Art Major filly who is raced by Merv and Meg Butterworth set a new national record for the 2200m mobile of 2.36.9 bettering the previous best time held by Democrat Party which she set when winning the same race in 2014.
“She’s a special filly,” Rasmussen said after the race.
“That was a massive performance, but I’m not surprised by it because I think that much of her.
“She was a little keen early on though when we got stuck in traffic, that had me a wee bit worried and I was pleased we were able to get out and get to parked because she relaxed a lot better there.”
Rasmussen had one nervous moment half way down the straight when stablemate, Picadilly Princess wound up stylishly by the classy filly lifted again to claim the victory.
Australia does beckon for the outstanding filly, but it won’t be for a while due to the fact Dream About Me is set to race there in the coming months, meaning the pair are unlikely to clash until the rich filly races at Addington in April.
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It’s only fitting that on Auckland’s biggest night of harness racing that the Auckland Trotting Syndicate finds itself in the winners’ circle.
They were there courtesy of the aptly named The Faithful, which his large contingent of owners are every time he steps out onto the racetrack.
In a perfect result for trainer Barry Purdon, who also prepared Lancewood Lizzie to finish a fast-finishing second, the son of former Harness Jewels winner, Running On Faith, was simply too slick after enjoying the perfect trip in behind the pacemaking Charleston Belle throughout the 2700m event.
Handled by Brent Mangos, the victory was The Faithful’s seventh from 28 starts with all seven coming on the Alexandra Park surface.
With more than $80,000 in the bank following the win, Purdon has done an outstanding job for his connections with the son of Bettor’s Delight and the fun looks a long way away from stopping.
Lancewood Lizzie, while beaten, was far from disgraced and produced some freakish sectionals to win from a near hopeless position at the 400 metre mark while Master Charlie finishing in third position.
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For just a fleeting moment, Mark Purdon thought the winning run of Lazarus was going to come to an end tonight.
But as quickly as the thought came into his head it left again as the classy three-year-old hit his hopples and unwound with his usual undeniable finishing sprint to win the $200,000 PGG Wrightson NZ Yearling Series Final from his game stablemate Chase The Dream.
“When we first straightened up and turned for home Natalie got a bit of a break with Chase The Dream and I thought we were in a bit of trouble.
“But he’s got a bit of class and he just hooked right into it and really stretched out.
“At this stage he’s not still the full package either, there’s still a bit of developing an maturing to do before he’s the complete horse.”
That’s a scary thought considering from his 12 starts he’s now won 10 and has earned close to half a million dollars in stakes for his owners; Phil and Glenys Kennard, Trevor Casey and Kevin Riseley.
Australia now beckons for the Bettor’s Delight colt with the Victoria Derby while his stablemate, Waikiki Beach will stay remain in Sydney avoiding a clash of the titans.
While beaten, Chase The Dream was far from disgraced and Natalie Rasmussen could only offer admiration for Lazarus.
“We’ve run home in 25 seconds and still been beaten, how good do you have to be?”
“My wee guy has gone great though, he’s a super wee horse.”
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Australia will get the chance to lay eyes on super trotter Monbet this season, but just how many times he will race there remains to be seen.
The rising star made a mockery of most of his rivals in the Group One, National Trot tonight dominating from the top and dashing clear to win by a comfortable margin.
But now Greg and Nina Hope have a dilemma. They could go to Australia and tackle big races like the Grand Prix when Mossdale Conner travels over for the Victoria Cup and then look at something like the Great Southern Star. The first race is almost a definite, but Hope is kind of thinking that only a few starts in Australia might be more his go this season to see how he handles it.
“We’ve got some decisions to make, but we won’t confirm anything until we get home,” Greg Hope said.
“I am thinking a couple of starts, but Ricky seems to think he would handle anything thrown his way.”
His rapid rise to the top of the trotting ranks was underlined last night by the manner in which he ran away from his opponents at the top of the straight and Ricky May made a rather shocking statement post race.
“He wasn’t his best tonight I thought, he got keen when Tony’s horse got up outside me.
“He still went fantastic, it’s unreal to sit behind him, he feels like a pacer”
While Monbet was grand, his arch-rival Speeding Spur was great in second with One Over Da Moon in third position.
Stent finished fourth after leading early and then trailing the winner, but he still seems a shadow of his former self currently.
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Tim Williams decision to appeal a suspension handed down to him three weeks ago has paid dividends.
Two years ago, the Canterbury born and bred youngster was kicking around in Southland and making a big impression.
Fast forward to tonight and he’s the winner of an Auckland Cup after producing a cool, calm and collected drive in a pressure cooker situation on board race favourite, Have Faith In Me.
“It’s a pretty surreal feeling,” Williams said.
“To know that I might have been sitting in the stand watching the race, I’m considering myself very lucky to have been able to drive him.”
Despite driving the favourite, Williams had the pressure heaped onto him due to Have Faith In Me’s sometimes wayward stand start manners, but all that went out the window when he stepped away like a toff from the unruly position.
“We’ve done a bit of work with him over the past week and a bit to get him stepping away.
“Duane Marfisi has spent a bit of time with the tape in his hand and it’s worked, when he wants to do it he can.”
Away safely Williams worked around to parked and then into the one out one back position with a lap left to run and although he only just got the line with his nose in front he did so with some authority.
“He does what he had to do, he’s quite a deceptive little horse.”
Hughie Green who led almost the entire was a brave second while Smolda ran home strongly to finish third.
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Aaron White wasn’t kidding when he said the North Island have a serious rising star of the trotting ranks in Yagunnakissmeornot.
The four-year-old mare extended her winning sequence to five tonight with a stunning victory in a hotly contested intermediate grade trot which had fireworks throughout and say the Sean McCaffery trained mare doing a power of work only to sprint away like she had sat in the trail throughout.
Under the patient guidings of Maurice McKendry, the daughter of Love You and Dutch Annie registered her 10th official win at Alexandra Park with two non tote victories on top of that as well.
For winning her 10th race at Alexandra Park, Yagunnakissmoeornot’s connections get an extra $10,000 in the bank for their efforts.
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Democrat Party quite likes New Years Eve at Alexandra Park.
The talented Barry Purdon trained mare set a New Zealand record when winning the Sires’ Stakes 3YO Fillies Championship last year and then picked up another win tonight, although in slightly less glamorous fashion than 12 months earlier.
Driven confidently by Zac Butcher she was too good for her stable mate On The Town giving Barry Purdon his second quinella for the night with Lusty Mac running home strongly for third after getting the shuffle inside the final lap of the race.
“Everything fell into place for her perfectly tonight,” Zac Butcher said.
“And she needs that to happen, but she’s done a great job for us and deserved that win.”
Owned by John and Katrina Price the daughter of American Ideal has now won 5 races and collected over $210,000 in stakes.
“She will win a few more races too, she’s just so honest.”
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The man who has won more Auckland Cups than anyone else left his hand until the last race of the night.
And it wouldn’t have been an Auckland Cup night without Tony Herlihy finding his way into the winners’ circle.
But he did it. Albeit by the narrowest of margins from a fast finishing All Royal Gal on board The Almighty Johnson.
The Majestic Son four-year-old led throughout for Herlihy and looked set for a big win at the top of the straight after shaking off race favourite, Le Reveur but he also had to stave off the challenge of All Royal Gal who ripped into her work late to only just come up short.
Owned by a prominent quartet of owners, including Ross Johnson and Janine Cole, The Almighty Johnson has now won 3 of his 13 career starts.
Fresh up since July, the training performance by Herlihy was one of the top order and just further underlined his incredible talents as a horseman.
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That concludes Auckland Cup night, and harness racing action for 2015.
It’s been an entertaining night and and even more exciting year on the track and although we’ve lost a couple of stars along the way, we’ve seen the emergence of a few to take their place.
Make sure you check back here tomorrow morning for full coverage from tonight’s meeting which will include the immediate plans for many of tonight’s big winners.
On behalf of the Harness Racing New Zealand team we want to wish you a very happy, safe and prosperous New Year and trust that the remainder of the holiday season treats you well.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
