By Duane Ranger
Cambridge Raceway’s leading trainer of last season – Jay Abernethy – can notch up his third win of the season at Waikato’s harness racing headquarters tonight (Thursday).
The 33-year-old Papakura horseman has four mares nominated for tonight’s Harness Racing Waikato meeting and rated Chevron’s Easy in the $6,500 John Villiger Memorial (race six) as his best chance of the night.
“She’s nice rated (R58) nicely in this R50-60 trot. She went real well last start when finishing second behind the favourite (Westwind Flyer) last week. That was over the same distance but she drew the front that night.
“She had to do a bit of work and she ended up in front. She’s a much better horse with a sit. If she get’s that from 11 tonight then she can win,” her trainer/driver said.
Abernethy said he was working 23 at his South Auckland property – most of them 2-year-olds. He said the return of Silver Stream in the next few weeks would bolster his stable’s winning chances.
However, he also liked his prospects in the first two races tonight.
In race one he will line up one of the favourites, Lola Jones (Gerry Cronin).
“It’s an amateur race and she’ll be driven by her owner (Cronin) from the second row-one draw. She ran home real nice here last week when third from gate 10.
“She also won well here two starts back and can do so again if the race pans out her way,” Abernethy said.
He also thought American Mary, who has copped the same second row draw as Lola Jones, could go close in the second.
“She is working a lot better and can win if she does things right. She needs to step and if she does she can win, but ‘if’ is the big word here. it’s 50-50 with her. She follows out Tony Herlihy’s (MNZM) filly (Marie Browne) which should assist her. She can pace okay but she is a bit of a head-scratcher.”
Abernethy believed a bad drive cost his fourth runner, Kate Jackson, her winning chances last week, and he hopes to redeem himself tonight with her in the seventh race.
“It’s not going to be easy for her from the widest front-row draw, but she drew 11 last week and couldn’t have got closer had I driven her better.
“She was full of running that night as well and because of that I’m sure she will finish closer than 10th tonight. That was her only start on the track and she will be better for that run. She has won over the distance as well,” Abernethy said.
Abernethy has trained two winners from 50 starters so far this season. He’s also placed five times and won $21,408 in stakes.
In the sulky Abernethy has saluted the judge twice as well. He will drive three of his four starters tonight.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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