By Jonny Turner
Big brother showed Merlin how it’s done just a day out from $1m The Race by betcha.
In slightly quieter surrounds to Friday’s Night Of Champions at Cambridge, Durrant ran to career win number eight at Ascot Park on Thursday for trainer Ross Hope and driver Nathan Williamson in the Final Touch / Clean-Biz Mobile Pace.
After facing trickier draws in his recent starts, Durrant made full use of barrier 4 when Williamson found him a perfect trip in the trail, turning around an unlucky last start effort at Winton.
“I think he has been going pretty well right the way through, but he hasn’t always had the luck go his way,” Hope said.
Both Merlin and Durrant are by Art Major from Imaginary Bet, who was crowned New Zealand’s Pacing Broodmare Of The Year at this year’s national harness racing awards.
While Durrant hasn’t competed at the same level as Merlin, he has delivered Hope and his wife Dianne plenty of thrills.
“He is a great horse to have around the place, he’s easy to look after.”
“He’s done a great job for us, when young Carter Dalgety won on him he liked him.”
“He’s just an old gentleman.”
There are no surprises around who the Hope camp will be cheering for in the $1m The Race by betcha.
“I think Merlin can do it, but it will be hard up against the Aussies who are seasoned with all the hard racing they’ve had,” Hope said.
Another of Imaginary Bet’s progeny will be in action in Southland on Friday.
Group 1-winning star Captains Mistress, a half-sister to Merlin and Durrant, will take another step back towards the races when trialling at Winton.
Trainer-driver Nathan Williamson is targeting a heat of the Sires Stakes Series at Addington next week with New Zealand’s reigning two-year-old pacing filly of the year.
Captains Mistress’ full brother Magician hasn’t been sighted since his win at Ascot Park on Group One Invercargill Cup Day.
Another of the progeny of Imaginary Bet, the four-year-old has recently been brought back into work by trainers Cran and Chrissie Dalgety after he suffered a minor injury in Auckland, which derailed a planned northern campaign.