By Jonny Turner
Trainers Cran and Chrissie Dalgety hope their homework with Krug pays off with victory in the Kaikoura Cup at Addington on Monday.
The three-year-old takes on older horses for the second time in the key New Zealand Cup lead up after galloping for a few strides shortly after the start of the Ashburton Flying Stakes.
That effort gave Krug’s team plenty to work on in between times and after getting an A+ report for his standing start practice, Krug is ready to get the start of the Kaikoura Cup right.
“He has had plenty more practice since Ashburton and I’d like to think we are a pretty good chance of going away,” Cran Dalgety said.
“The first 50m is going to set up his chances, he can’t afford to be a stride slow again when they are running home in 53 or 54sec (800m).”
“He is a very sensible horse and I don’t think the stands are going to worry him going forward, but just being his second one it is new territory for him.”
“With facing the tapes at Ashburton and having more practice since then I would like to think he can get away pretty good.”
Krug was among several runners who reeled off fast closing sectionals in the Ashburton Flying Stakes while having little winning chance from back in the field.
If he is closer on Monday, Dalgety has no doubt his three-year-old can make a big impact on the Kaikoura Cup.
“He is fit and ready to rumble, he took good benefit from the run at Ashburton and if he is able to get away and get handy they will definitely know he is there.”
Race favourite South Coast Arden will be out to finish off his nearly faultless preparation for the New Zealand Cup in Monday’s race.
The Brent Mangos trained pacer opened the $1.80 fixed odds wins favourite for the Kaikoura Cup, ahead of Krug who was rated second favourite at $6.
The Dalgety camp line up a big team on the massive Kaikoura Cup Day card.
Among them is impressive debut winner, the royally bred Remember Me, who starts in race 9 alongside her stablemate Shards Of Manhattan.
The daughter of Adore Me impressed in her first start at Addington and returns better for that experience on Monday.
“She has taken a lot of improvement from her win, we have been very pleased with her.”
“Allegra is going to be the main danger again, but I would like to think our filly could be hard to beat.”
The Dalgety stable start another smart three-year-old in Republican Party, who will be out to finish off his preparation for the Sires Stakes Final on New Zealand Cup Day in race 12.
Driver Blair Orange will have to negotiate a path from barrier 9 in his 1980m assignment.
“Obviously it is up to Blair to sum things up, but a lot will depend on what the horses inside him do at the start.”
“In saying that, he is going to give a great account of himself wherever he settles in the run.”
The Dalgety camp clash with another Brent Mangos trained pacer in race 7 with Invitation Only taking on Romeo Shard.
“Romeo Shard does look the horse to beat with us giving him a head start from the second line.”
“But our horse is fit and very well and I am expecting a big performance.”
The Dalgety stable also line up Trixton Time in race 4 on Kaikoura Cup Day.
