By Matt Markham
For the 100th time, someone at Addington tonight is going to go home $7,500 better off win, lose or draw.
The Met Multiplier, a bonus based incentive that rewards horses who have raced at harness headquarters 15 times in a 12 month period and secured at least one victory, tonight will reward it’s 100th recipient.
The bonus carries a purse of $7,500 with $5,000 going to the owner and $2,500 to the trainer.
Introduced in August of 2012, the Met Multiplier has proved a popular foil in attracting horses to Addington week in, and week out and has undoubtedly helped with their numbers during leaner times.
Tonight, Arran Chief is likely to get the honour of becoming the 100th winner of the Multiplier – meaning $750,000 has been handed to owners and trainers in the past four years for just racing at Addington Raceway.
He’s had 14 starts at Addington in the last 12 months and picked up a victory.
That victory incidentally came in the Darren DeFilippi Memorial Handicap Trot last year when he was handled to perfection by Jessica Young to win by the narrowest of margins.
The Andrew Faulks trained square-gaiter goes around in the fifth race at tonight’s meeting – but there is a chance by the time he steps out onto the track that the 100th Met Multiplier may have already been paid out.
A number of horses have completed the required number of starts but are missing the required victory.
The Bruce Hutton trained, Gunpowder can snare the prize by winning the opening race of the night – a task made difficult by the inclusion of the exciting Mr Mojito from the Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen stable.
Aveross Brachole can do the same a but later on for David Pearce too.
In the same race as Arran Chief, Clover Mac is also in line for the Multiplier if he is able to win.
The Colin DeFilippi trained runner is a model of consistency and isn’t without a big chance of winning the fifth event.
Here We Go Again and Donegal Jimmy Dave are others who can pick up the prize if they are successful tonight.
Brian Rabbitt, head of the racing department at Addington, said the Met Multiplier had been a wonderful incentive for him when it has come to doing his fields.
“It’s really been quite incredible,” he said.
“And while there might not have been a lot of notable horses who have picked it up over the years there have been a lot of horses who have shown up week in and week out and it’s a nice way to reward them for doing that.
“Tonight is an interesting one just because of the all the different things that could happen. We have never had a meeting where there could be potentially five winners of the Multiplier on the same evening.
“It could be an expensive night,” he quipped.
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