By Duane Ranger
New Zealand’s top female solo trainer of last season should be back in the winner’s circle at least once on her Cambridge Raceway home track on Thursday night (November 17).
But the ever humble Arna Donnelly is never one to talk up her chances, even when she has a star trialist, and likely hot favourite, making her début in race three– the $6,000 New World Cambridge Maiden for pacing mares and fillies.
‘She’s a very nice, big, black, strong 3-year-old filly and has drawn very well at two, but even from there I don’t like labelling them. There’s no such thing as a certainty in this game,” Donnelly said.
The 36-year-old will drive the best filly she has trained. Her name is Inflight and she has won her last two trials emphatically.
“I qualified her (4.3 seconds under the required time) at Cambridge in April and then I tipped her out. Then Zac Butcher drove her to a three-and-a-half length win at Pukekohe (on October 29).
“She’s a lovely horse with quite a bit of ability. I don’t want to get too carried away but she should go close on Thursday,” Donnelly said.
Inflight is owned and was co-bred by Peter and Jan Argus, who also raced her older full brother, Alotbettor. That gelding won three races for Donnelly before being exported to Australia in October 2015.
He is still racing and has won another six times for Amanda Turnbull in New South Wales.
Both pacers are by Bettor’s Delight and out of the unraced Falcon Seelster mare Falcon’s Flybye. Her first Grinfromeartoear foal, Fleeting Grin has so far won six races in the South Island.
Butcher has retained the drive on Inflight after she ran away from her four opponents when winning the 2050m (left handed) mobile trial by an increasing three-and-a-half lengths.
She stopped the clock in 2;37.2 (mile rate 2;03.3) with final 800m and 400m sprints of 58.6 and 28.3.
“I really like her. I haven’t raced many 3-year-old fillies and if I have she’s clearly the best of them. She does possess a bit of speed and if everything goes her way from the draw then she will take some beating,” Donnelly said.
The Cambridge horsewoman was New Zealand’s leading solo female trainer with 22 wins last season. She wants to beat that feat again this season, and if she does she will create another personal milestone – 100 career wins. She’s currently won 83 races.
“I would like to get 23 wins and if I get to the 100 then that will be a bonus. I do set goals and last year was my best so far. I want to better that this year,” said Donnelly.
She will have two other chances to further her season tally of three wins (from 23 starters) when Whale Rider (10) lines up in race five and then Hudy Haxwell starts from 20 metre back mark in the seventh event.
“It’s going to a little bit tricky for Whale Rider to get into the race from two on the second line. He’s the type who needs a good draw and sit. He could place if things went right.
“Hudy Haxwell has had 10 days off and then he’s trialled super. This is a tricky little race but he can run over the top of them if things go his way. He has raced well before in a fresh state,” Donnelly said.
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