By Michael Guerin
He may be one of New Zealand’s astute harness trainers but Tony Barron knows there is something missing from his CV and he hopes Lifes A Beach may be the horse to fill that gap.
The exciting filly looks to make the most of a front line draw in tonight’s $120,000 Nevele R Fillies Final at Addington in which she comes up against Bettor Twist.
The latter will start a hot favourite and was too good for Lifes A Beach when they last met here last month but tonight Barron’s filly could have the advantage and she has actually beaten the favourite before.
Lifes A Beach is drawn to start from barrier five tonight, while Bettor Twist and fellow favoured fillies The Honey Queen and La Rosa all start on the second line.
“I think that is a huge help to us,” says Barron.
“My filly hasn’t had the opportunity to show much gate speed in the past because she hasn’t had the right draws but she has to go forward tonight to at least stay in front of those good fillies.
“She will have the gate speed when needed because she used to fly the gate at the trials but we actually had to work on her to come back to us and relax more.
“So she will go forward and maybe Bettor Twist will be good enough to come and beat us but we have to make a race of it.”
Lifes A Beach was luckless when second to another race rival tonight in Bettor Talk Art when that filly won the Southland Oaks last start and she could also be a value play for place punters at least tonight as she also has a good draw.
Even if Lifes A Beach can’t win tonight Barron knows he has the Oaks next week and then the Jewels so three cracks in a month at Group One glory.
“I have never trained a group one winner and obviously I’d love to so she at least gives us a chance.”
The biggest hurdle for Lifes A Beach over the coming weeks may be that while she has improved lately so too seems to have Bettor Twist.
Already the best pacing filly in the country Bettor Twist seems to be hitting the line even harder in recent starts and may be on the verge of becoming a pacing superstar.
Add in Bettor Talk Art, The Honey Queen, Off N Gone, Darling Me, La Rosa and the emerging Allamericanlover and it looks a wonderful crop to contest those three Group Ones over the next four weeks.
