By Matt Markham
Cran Dalgety’s not giving up on the hope of winning a New Zealand Trotting Cup with Christen Me just yet.
But the West Melton horseman knows it’s going to take something special for the former Miracle Mile winner to usurp some of his much younger rivals who will head to the second Tuesday in November.
In the hype of the likes of Have Faith In Me and Lazarus joining the Cup fray this season, Christen Me’s name has been sparingly mentioned.
“We are very much the old boy on the block this year,” Dalgety said.
“There’s some pretty impressive stock coming through which is going to make things pretty tough and we don’t want to be tackling them any earlier than what we have too that’s for sure.”
Since his disappointing Queensland campaign, Christen Me has been ticking along quietly around the stables and probably could have been a contender in some of the early Cup lead up races.
“It’s more of a case of me trying not to be too keen with him to be honest.
“We could target all this early stuff and leave ourselves overdone come November so at this stage I’m thinking we won’t see him at the races too much before things get serious.”
That could mean that Christen Me’s first appearance comes in the Ashburton Flying Stakes in October – leaving just a matter of weeks before the Cup.
While he is still to sit down with Charlie Roberts and Vicki Purdon to discuss a campaign plan for Christen Me, Dalgety was pretty adamant that he didn’t believe the Perth Inter Dominion was on the radar.
“It could end up being tougher than the New Zealand Cup from what I’m hearing.
“So we are probably going to be better off here trying to pick up the big one at home.”
In a small side story from the plans for Christen Me, the jury is still out on whether or not Dexter Dunn will be available to drive the gelding.
Dunn, who returned from a successful holiday last week and will drive Franco Cristiano on Breeders Crown Final Day this weekend, is also the regular driver of Locharburn.
There’s plenty of speculation circling about who the World Champion reinsman will drive.
Dunn himself has remained certain that there would be no firm decision made until later into the respective campaigns.
Blair Orange is the likely person to jump on Locharburn if Dunn goes Christen Me’s way.
Locharburn will trial again today at Rangiora alongside Cup contenders; Tiger Tara, Franco Nelson and Idealindiamonds.
Also in action out in North Canterbury today is open class trotters Sheemon, Jags Invasion, Sunny Ruby and Belle’s Son.
Harness Jewels winning mare, Rocker Band will also make her first public appearance since her Cambridge win when she tackles a small field in a mobile event earlier in the day.
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