by Duane Ranger
Sunday’s Manawatu Cup winner, Risk, will now take on the country’s best 4-year-olds in the two $100,000 Group One features at Alexandra Park later next month.
The Andrew and Lyn Neal trained entire settled three-back on the outside shortly after starting from his nine draw.
Driver Todd Mitchell then whipped the $1.80 favourite around to the lead at the 1400m and that move basically decided the race.
‘The Wizard’ then dictated all the pace with the brown son of Changeover beating Joey Maguire (Ross Houghton) and Tijuana Bromac (Sailesh Abernethy) by two lengths and half a length respectively.
In doing so Risk notched up his ninth win in 24 starts ($86,151) in 3:06.3 with final 800m and 400m sectionals of 57.4 and 28.4. The mile rate for the 2500m mobile was 1:59.9.
“He was always travelling well when he got to the front and then Toddy did the rest. He will now head to Auckland for the big races there. Beyond The Silence will tackle the Country Cups Final,” Andrew Neal said.
The Cambridge horseman said he would line up Risk at Alexandra Park in just over two weeks before taking on the big boys in the Taylor Mile on April 22 and then the New Zealand Messenger a week later.
“He’s now gone past Beyond The Silence as the best horse in our stable. He has such great strength for a 4-year-old. He has really made us sit up and take notice of him this season.
“We didn’t think he would get to where he is now in such a short time. He’s a very tough horse. We have had some nice open class pacers in the past but they usually haven’t had this sort of toughness until they reached five and six,” Neal said.
Risk is now ranked fifth on the Harness Jewels Emerald for 4-year-old pacing geldings and entires. Neal said he would race at Auckland and then Cambridge Raceway before being spelled after the Jewels.
He said a New Zealand Cup in November start was not out of the question.
“It’s an option. I’m certainly not ruling it out. We will just see how he gets through the next couple of months and then how he comes back after a let-up,” Neal said.
Risk is owned by Colin Eynon and his son Grant. They also own the promising Nigel McGrath trained Classie Brigade. That 3-year-old Bettor’s Delight colt has won six of his 17 starts and $82,606.
Risk’s victory came in the highlight event on the second day of the Manawatu Harness Racing Club’s two-day meeting.
On Friday the Brent Mangos trained and driven Major Star was too smart taking out the $13,000 Palmerstonian Classic. He beat Sir Richie (Zac Butcher) and Lucia Bromac (Brent Weaver) by half a length and two lengths with a 1:59.4 mile rate.
It was the 6-year-old Art Major gelding’s ninth win in 42 starts and he has now banked $15,449 in stakes.
There were no dual winners at the meeting.
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