By Matt Markham
Cran Dalgety isn’t getting excited. Not yet anyway.
But even the normally reserved horseman struggled to contain his enthusiasm when his star pacer Christen Me made an impressive return at yesterday’s Ashburton workouts.
It was a shock performance for the fact that Christen Me wasn’t initially in the field for the workout heat and even more for the fact that in his first public appearance since his failed Queensland campaign he managed to run past three of this year’s New Zealand Trotting Cup favourites. ‘
The former Miracle Mile winner came off the back of Have Faith In Me, Lazarus and Smolda to run them down in the shadows of the post in a high class finish.
“I was a little surprised that he was able to do that,” Dalgety said.
“But Mark and Natalie’s three looked to be doing pretty good work at the finish too, so you can’t get too far ahead of yourself.
“We’re on the board though and that’s exciting enough in itself.”
Dalgety had initial plans to be heading to Rangiora today, but changed his mind on Monday night when he saw that the All Stars trio were going to be in attendance at Ashburton.
So Christen Me was chucked on the float and accepted as a late entry.
“When I looked at the fields and saw the three of them were here I thought we were better off coming here and getting a line on where we are at than going to Rangiora and starting off a handicap and not really getting a true indication.
“He’s pretty fit, being an older horse now he doesn’t take much and we’ve pretty much kept him ticking over since he got back from Queensland.”
Christen Me will head to next week’s Avon City Ford New Brighton Cup at Addington, as will Have Faith In Me, Lazarus and Smolda after they pleased Mark and Natalie enough to warrant getting serious.
They will be joined by Franco Nelson, Tiger Tara and Lochaburn – making for a mouth watering clash early in the lead up to the Cup in November.
Post that though, you won’t see Christen Me for a while.
“The plan is to get him up and give him a race and then back off him again for a bit.
“That probably means missing the Canterbury Classic a couple of weeks after the the New Brighton Cup but I’m confident we can keep him ticking over still at home and then join back up with the rest of them late in the piece.”
There were smiles just down the stabling block at Ashburton from the All Stars team too.
Have Faith In Me gained a run up start but was a lot better than the previous week while Smolda and Lazarus both looked good in their late work.
“I think they can all head along next week,” Purdon said.
“Lazarus has really come on since that first run, he’s surprised me at how well he’s come through the runs.
“He’s doing everything right too, he stood up to the tape today and paced away brilliantly.”
With all the big guns in action at Addington next week, there’s still one question to be answered though and only Dexter Dunn can answer it.
As the regular drive of both Locharburn and Christen Me there will be plenty of interest in which horse Dunn decides to drive, although the strong money is on him sticking with Christen Me and Blair Orange taking the drive on Locharburn.
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