NZ HARNESS NEWS
Temporale and Speeding Spur have drawn the second line in Saturday night’s A$300,000 Great Southern Star trot at Melton in Victoria.
The pair, who are due to fly in to sweltering Melbourne temperatures on Wednesday, will give up an early advantage to local star Red Hot Tooth, who has drawn to lead in gate three
Temporale, who has won four in a row for trainer Tony Herlihy, including the Group 1 National Trot, will likely find himself three back on the pegs after drawing the inside of the second line for the mobile 2760-metre feature.
Speeding Spur, the 2016 Great Southern Star champion, will start from the outside of the second line for John and Joshua Dickie.
The Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen-trained pair of Spankem and The Devils Own have contrasting marbles in the A$200,000 Victoria Derby Final.
Spankem, a heat winner at Ballarat on Saturday night, has drawn gate four on the front line and will be the subject of warm support in a race Purdon has won three times before – with Sharp And Telford in 1996, Rare Gem in 2001 and Lazarus in 2016.
The Devils Own, who was just fair in running third in his heat, will need to improve to be a factor from his draw on the outside of the second row.
Local stars Lumineer and Poster Boy drew the two marbles on the outside of the front line.
The three Kiwi-trained runners in the A$100,000 Ladyship Cup will all be in with a chance after faring reasonably well in the draws.
Partyon, co-winner of the Group 1 Queen of Hearts at Alexandra Park before Christmas, will start from barrier two, outside former stablemate Our Golden Goddess.
Piccadilly Princess, who landed in Melbourne on Tuesday after a protracted Perth campaign for Purdon and Rasmussen, will start from three on the second row.
And Brad Mowbray’s in-form mare, Delishka, snuck in to the field despite being assessed M0 and drew barrier four.
Pre-draw favourite Ameretto has drawn the inside of the second line, behind her stablemate, Our Golden Goddess.
There will also be some New Zealand interest in the A$100,000 4YO Bonanza with Gotta Go Dali Queen drawing two over the sprint trip.
She is still part-owned by her former West Auckland co-trainer Tate Hopkins and Northland breeder Sue Martin.
- NZ Harness News
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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