By Michael Guerin
Cold Chisel may be a three-year-old taking on the best pacers in the north at Alexandra Park tonight but that is not how his trainers look at it. And they are, of course, right.
At first glance Cold Chisel looks out of place in tonight’s $40,000 TAB Holmes DG, the next step on the road to next month’s New Zealand Cup.
He is technically a three-year-old taking on multiple Group 1 winners (and stablemates) Merlin and Mach Shard in a 2700m standing start but age is very much a technicality created when Harness Racing New Zealand changed its season from starting on August to beginning on January 1. At this stage of their careers just a few years ago horses actually as old as Cold Chisel were counted as four-year-olds, whereas now because their official birthday isn’t until January 1 they are still three.
Putting it in perspective, when Lazarus was an old as Cold Chisel actually is now, he was winning the New Zealand Cup by 10 lengths.
“In our stable we still treat them as turning a year older on August 1,” explains Scott Phelan, co-trainer with Barry Purdon.
“That is how old they actually are that is how we train and race them so we have no issue lining him up this week against the best horses because he is really four.”
Not that Cold Chisel is any slouch himself, having already won a Northern Derby and one of the favourites for the NZ Derby and the new three-year-old slot race, the $500,000 Velocity.
But Phelan says even with Tony Herlihy in the sulky tonight he doesn’t expect Cold Chisel to beat the established stars, particularly Merlin. Cold Chisel is a $9 fourth favourite behind his stablemates Merlin ($2.05), Sooner The Bettor ($3.80), Mach Shard ($5.50).
Most of these met in the Spring Cup over 2200m two weeks ago and courtesy of a front line draw Sooner The Better held Merlin out by a neck after the latter had given him a 20m start.
He has to do the same tonight but it is over 2700m and will almost certainly not be as helter skelter and Merlin should probably be able to get closer without burning as much energy.
“He is clearly the one to beat the way he went fresh up and he has improved,” confirms Phelan.
“Sooner The Better is always a chance and he could win again while Mach Shard was really good last start and I think he will go a big race.”
For all the talent of their opponents it would be a surprise if one of the stable’s four runners didn’t win the feature on a night where they could easily train a treble as they did last Friday.
I Got Chills (R2, No.3) finds himself in a winnable maiden two-year-old race in the Gallagher Insurance Mobile Pace and finally with the draw to use his gate speed while Jeremiah (R5, No.7) is a Derby horse, albeit up against a few others with that look about them in what will be a good form race in the Breckon Farms Mobile Pace.
Juvenile filly Youretheonethatiwant (R7, No.5) looked the best of her sex when winning all three of her fillies races in the autumn before flying home for second to Cyclone Jordy in the Cardigan Bay Stakes in May. She meets stunning last-start Group 1 winner Beetastic in a tricky Dunstan Horsefeeds Sires’ Stakes 2YO Fillies Heat but Phelan says she is ready to win even though she will lack race fitness.
Michael Guerin’s Friday Fancies :
1: Father Barry (Alex Park, R4): Blew start last time but if he trots all the way he should win. Smart young trotter and field configuration suits.
2: Classic Elegance (Alex Park, R9, No.5): Chased home a special filly in Duchess Megxit last Friday in one of the quickest last 800m ever paced at The Park. Repeat of that level would win this.
3: Akatea (Alex Park, R3, No.2): Has gate speed and dropping in class. Could lead and dominate.
4: The Jolly Roger/I Got Chills quinella (Alex Park, R2): Two smart juveniles who should lead and trail then run the quinella.