By Michael Guerin
Enghien’s defense of his Harness Jewels title is under huge pressure with no easy way to solve the problem.
And trainer Greg Hope admits the young trotter star has nobody to blame but himself.
Last season’s champion three-year-old trotter heads to Addington’s day meeting on Saturday when the Harness Jewels leaders colours will make their first outing for the season — but after wearing them for much of last autumn Enghien couldn’t be further from them this term.
His only two starts have resulted in two unplaced runs after galloping, meaning Enghien has a grand total of $0 next to his name on the Jewels qualification table with about $25,000 needed to qualify by mid-May.
Making life even tougher for Enghien is the fact while he races four and five-year-olds on Saturday, his three confirmed starts before the Jewels cut off point are all likely to be in group one open class races.
“He doesn’t have an easy pathway to get the money he needs to qualify so it is starting to play on our minds a bit,” says Hope.
“But I suppose if he isn’t good enough to win that money in the next six weeks then he doesn’t deserve to be there. Still, it is harder when you are racing mainly in open class.”
Enghien could go about halfway to solving his Jewels qualification problems with a win on Saturday and Hope is adamant the four-year-old is close to getting things right.
“We had half blinds on last week and when the horses behind him at the start came rushing up past him he panicked and galloped,” explains Hope.
“So we will leave those off this week and if he steps away and behaves, which I think he can do, then he has to be hard to beat.
“Ricky (May, driver) said he trotted beautifully once he got going last week.”
And Hope has an ace up his sleeve on the steep Jewels climb — Enghien likes Alexandra Park more than Addington.
“He has always been better right-handed so races like the Anzac and Rowe Cups, while they will be good fields, should see him more comfortable.”
The clash between Enghien, Temporale and Benchmark in the $30,000 trot will be one of the highlights of the Addington card because it looks the least predictable of the main races.
Whereas the $100,000 Easter Cup looks to be More The Better’s to lose, even after he was beaten when doing a power of work last Friday.
He is a genuine group one horse whose earlier comeback win at Invercargill was huge and if the best version of him turns up he should win for the partial sponsors of the race, the All Stars.
Hope has A G’s White Socks in the Cup but warns the classy pacer has been struggling to find his best form.
“He is working well but he has had problems with his heart rate coming down as fast as it should.
“So I think he is a place chance but it is very hard to see Mark’s horse (More The Better) beaten.”
The same could apply to Enhance Your Calm in race four, the Trotting Stakes, in which only the brave filly Running Free looks a serious threat if they all trot throughout.
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