By Duane Ranger
Tonight’s Alexandra Park meeting will be the last chance for Bourbon Street and Saffron Castleton to win the Auckland Trotting Club’s 2016-2017 performance incentive scheme.
Racing manager, Regan Cotter, said the Warren Castleton trained and Alicia Harrison driven Saffron Castleton stood to win $4,000 (half the race stake) in race four, while the Cheree Wigg trained and Tony Cameron (j) driven Bourbon Street could pocket the same in the fifth event.
“Friday’s meeting will officially be the last meeting for eligible horses wanting to win the performance incentive bonus. No new entries have been taken into the scheme since July 31 last year, but for those horses who entered in the scheme up to that date and who have been making the required payments have until July 31 – so effectively July 28 – to receive the bonus.
“I wish the connections of both horses well. Bourbon Street went oh so close a few starts ago so Friday night could be the perfect way to end Cheree Wigg’s training successful season,” Cotter said.
He also said tonight’s (Friday) meeting will kick also off the first night of the North Island Standardbred Breeders Winter Bonus Series for fillies and mares.
“This is a six meeting series (three here and three at Cambridge) and entry is automatic for any non-winner or winner trotting or pacing filly or mare that starts at any of the six meetings,” he said.
Those meetings are Auckland (July 28); Cambridge (August 3); Auckland (August 11); Cambridge (August 17); Auckland (August 25); and Cambridge (September 7).
“The NZSBA wanted to get a six-race series off the ground throughout the winter months, to promote fillies and mares racing in the upper North Island.
“After consultation with the soon-to-be elected Cambridge Raceway Operations Manager, David Branch; Harness Racing New Zealand North Island Handicapper Kevin Smith; Cathy Shaw (of NISBA); Karen; and myself, we came up with a six-race series comprising three races each at Alexandra Park and Cambridge Raceway,” Cotter said.
Meanwhile Cotter said there were some other interesting battles both on the last night of the season and meetings in August.
“Big Mach and King Of Swing are tipped to be going over for the Breeders Crown so that should be an interesting clash in weeks to come, and Craig Smith is now in the Jeremy Young barn. Could this be his first Alexandra Park win in his first drive here?”
Smith will drive the Wigg trained Curlimore, who will be having his second start on the track. He will be improved by that run but from the rough second row draw his stablemate, Bourbon Street, looks a better chance from gate three.
Two of Bourbon Street’s three career wins have been at Alexandra Park – both of them over tonight’s distance.
He was a nice third here on July 7 from gate two and a fortnight earlier he was a game second behind the talented Richard Le Fort.
However, Bourbon Street hasn’t won a race since July 3, 2015.
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