By Michael Guerin
Cran Dalgety has been here before.
This time last year in fact with a filly who has so many similarities to his new rave pacer Beside Me.
The three-year-old is causing heads to turn every time she steps on the track, the latest when she thrashed older opponents by five lengths at Addington on Friday night courtesy of a 56-second last 800m in the Breckon Farms Thanks Buyers Mobile Pace.
A big, strong daughter of Downbytheseaside and former outstanding filly Dream About Me, Beside Me is bred to be good and is.
How good we will find out in April when she heads north for fillies features culminating in the Pascoes Northern Oaks on April 25.
Dalgety, wife Chrissie and son and driver Carter has been in this exact position last year when All You Need Is Me stormed through the grades and won the Oaks at Alexandra Park, only to get ill and struggle to recapture that form this season.
Just like All You Need Is Me, Beside Me is owned by Charles Joseph Ltd, a company set up for members of the late great man’s family to race some of the breed.
So the two fillies have plenty in common but Dalgety says one big difference.
“All You Need Is Me is a good mare and was a very good filly but she had a few issues which horses can get racing at the highest level whereas I don’t think we will see those with this filly.
“She has yet to win an Oaks like the other filly has but she is bigger and stronger and I am sure she will handle whatever we throw at her.”
That is a decent warning shot for trainers of other good three-year-old as Beside Me looks to have real x-factor and if she handles the right-handed Alexandra Park she is the one to beat in the Oaks, for which she is now the $2.20 futures favourite.
She was one of two winners on the night for the Dalgetys and while Captain Commodore’s only came in a maiden race, the style in which he sat parked to win easily suggests he will be winning again soon.
The highlight of the night at Addington was the return of Bet N Win in the $40,000 Lamb And Hayward Classic and he didn’t disappoint.
He was driven conservatively early by Bob Butt as his connections had suggested he would be but he had a lot harder run over the last lap yet was still too good.
“The fact he was able to beat One Over All, who has been one of the form trotters so far this year, is very heartening for us heading forward,” says co-trainer David White.
Bet N Win will return for the Fred Shaw NZ Trotting Champs in two weeks and then head north to be aimed at the $600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge on April 4.
The feature pace was taken out by the under-rated Dalton Shard who grabbed Bazooka late in a race set up for the swoopers after a hot early tempo that saw surprise favourite Beach Ball drop out after leading.
The race was so upside down the open class horses paced their last 400m in an incredibly slow 30.2 seconds.
Group 3 win for American Muscle at Alexandra Park
By Michael Guerin
American Muscle may have got the career highlight win to cap a great summer for her family on Friday night but she is anything but finished on the track.
That is the assessment from co-trainer Michelle Wallis after she and husband Bernie Hackett continued a great last six months in Alexandra Park’s big money trots when the six-year-old held out stablemate Faith In Manchester in the $40,000 Fisken And Sons Northern Trotting Breeders Stakes.
While American Muscle already had time-related black type and a Group 3 placing to her name she is now a Group 3 winner among her 10 career victories, which counts for something at future yearling sales.
Especially when your dam is the newly-crowned Trotting Broodmare of the Year in Liberty City, also the dam of Empire City and Atlantic City, two of our best young trotting fillies in recent years.
But while American Muscle’s manners and ability have guaranteed her a broodmare career for her owners and breeders Peter and Janet Argus, she will remain a racehorse.
“She really deserved that tonight,” said Wallis.
“But I don’t think they will be making any plans to retire her.
“I’d say they will keep racing her as long as she is racing well.”
While the win continued a hot streak for the Wallis/Hackett stable in these type of races the punter’s favourite Belle Neige finished near last.
“She came back in with a very elevated heart rate so something clearly wasn’t right with her,” said Wallis.
The stable won the trot before too with Hillbilly Blues, who made up for an early gallop when favourite last week to trot faultlessly for former trainer Tony Herlihy.
Hillbilly Blues trotted his last 800m in 57.9 seconds to suggest he is way better than this grade.
“He was actually bought and trained by Tony but he thought he’d be better off being beach trained so sent him out to us,” said Wallis.
Away from their twin trotting wins it was two Mark and Nathan Purdon-trained three-year-old pacers who scored the other most impressive wins of the night.
Without You started the ball rolling in the first race when she beat her older rivals by six lengths pacing 2:40 for the 2200m, suggesting she could be a force in the Northern Oaks in two months.
Later her stablemate Rubira was stunning coming from last at the 400m to win the IRT. Your Horse. Our Passion Mobile Pace, storming past of likes of Ohoka Connor and Greased Lightnin, with the second placed Colonel Lincoln all but denying the winner as he flew home with him.
The same punters who would have been abusing Purdon 400m earlier were calling him a genius after the win.
“He has always been a good horse but that was a big win tonight considering the opposition,” said Purdon.
Rubira will have the Harness Million in three weeks and the Northern Derby a month after, both in the considerable shadow of Marketplace.
Other winners on Friday night saw Romeo Foxtrot keep winning for red hot junior driver Harrison Orange while Carrera Hombre left maidens like a three-year-old with a decent future for trainer Brian And Gareth Hughes.
