By Duane Ranger
Southland horseman Nathan Williamson will be looking to train his first Alexandra Park winner tonight (Friday), but admits it can wait until April 28 if need-be.
That’s the night of the 2017 Rowe Cup. Tonight the Williamson trained and driven De Vito will be having his first look at Alexandra Park in an attempt to qualify for the Group One $150,000 feature at the end of the month.
“I’ll be trying to win to get a start in the Rowe Cup. The race means a lot to our family because Dad (Phil) won it in 2007. In trotting we all talk of having a Rowe Cup or Dominion horse.
“I’m not getting carried away, but the Rowe Cup is in the back of my mind, if not this year – next year. He’s not even an open class trotter yet – just a good intermediate one. I’d love to get accepted for the race, so we will keep lining up in the lead-up races to see if he can get in.
“Friday is the start of his build-up we will see exactly where he stands. He prefers the right-handed way in training back home, so I’m quite hopeful he will trot well,” Williamson said.
“But it is his first race up here and no matter what happens he will be better for each run heading into the Rowe Cup Carnival,” he added.
De Vito, who will be driven by his trainer, has drawn ideally at two in the feature trot of the night – the $14,999 Haras des Trotteurs Mobile for the R91 and faster squaregaiters.
The Sundon gelding is an R82 rated trotter and will be competing against hardened Alexandra Park veterans like impressive last start winners – Prime Power (R114) & Temporale (R188), and Idle Bones (R100) & Yagunnakissmeornot (R82).
“He’s staying with Bernie (Hackett) and Michelle (Wallis) at Waiuku and is being beach-trained. I’ve got a lot of time for him. He feels like a good horse in the making.
“I’m hoping he runs well up there because he’s only five and if he doesn’t make the Rowe Cup field this year then he could be back in 2018. I’m thinking the same with Dark Horse and Poppymalda (both five wins),” the Ryal Bush conditioner said.
De Vito justified his $2.60 favouritism when winning a C2 to OC trot from 10m behind by seven lengths at Wyndham two starts back (2:02.6 mile rate), and then he ran third behind Monty Python and Golden Gate at Invercargill last start (March 11).
That last assignment was a 3200m standing start – the same distance as the Rowe Cup. He stopped the clock in 4:10.
Tonight’s distance is a 2200m mobile. De Vito has a 4-1-2 record over that journey and in a career spanning 19 starts back to April 2015, he has won five times – one each at Wyndham, Invercargill (twice), Waikouaiti, and Gore.
“He’s a real consistent horse who has won or placed in 16 of his 19 starts. He’s working his way to being a good trotter – but he’s not even in the open class ranks yet.
“What I’ve seen of him, I really like. I’ve had him for six starts now and he hasn’t ran worse than third. I got him off Billy Heads last year,” Williamson said.
“I think he will be comfortable with the right-handed way around and that’s a big factor when it comes to racing first-up at Alexandra Park,” the former St Kevin’s College student added.
Williamson will also line up the lightly tried Somebeachsomewhere filly, Excellent, in the fifth race – the $12,000 Sims Pacific Metals Mobile for the two-year-old pacers.
She finished fourth (of six) when second favourite on debut in the $23,000 Group Three Alabar NZ – Caduceus Club Of Southland Fillies Pace (March 11) and then “went big” in the second heat of the $22,000 Sires Stakes heat at Alexandra Park on March 24.
“Todd (Macfarlane) drove her well that night and only finished half a neck from winning. That run would have done her the world of good.
“She’s done well since then and is staying with Robert Dunn at Pukekohe. She drew nine that night and I’ll drive her this time from barrier five. I like the way she has improved since arriving in Auckland,” said Williamson.
With helpful trainers like Dunn, Wallis and Hackett, Williamson said he could see himself campaigning more horses at Auckland when the big money is up.
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