By Michael Guerin
Young driving star Carter Dalgety doesn’t believe in taking short cuts but he is willing to make an exception if it helps him land a couple of Group 1s at Alexandra Park tonight.
Dalgety is leading the charge for the army of talented youngsters in harness racing, up for any challenge with a smile on his face.
A talented First 15 rugby player when he was at school he started his own fashion line while still at university, drove a couple of Group 1 winners and then jetted off to North America last year to hang with mentor Dexter Dunn and drive at the highest level.
But while the son of trainers Cran and Chrissie Dalgety usually takes the road less travelled, tonight he will be happy to be taking the shortest way home.
Dalgety will drive exceptional pacing filly Beside Me in the $100,000 Pascoes the Jewellers Northern Oaks and Republican Party in the $100,000 Dawson Harford Messenger and the initial plan with both is simple: be on the markers.
That looks certain with Republican Party (barrier 1) who finally gets a good draw in the 2700m mobile and has options to lead but more likely trail either Rakero Rocket or Chase A Dream.
“It is so good to get a good draw with him because he has been going great races but covering so much ground,” says Dalgety.
“In these big staying races being on the markers is so crucial and he is going well enough to win.
“He might have had a busy summer and autumn but he is so relaxed and cruisy in training he takes nothing out of himself and I think that really helps.”
Trailing Rakero Rocket, who in turn could make favourite Chase A Dream work, would be the ideal scenario for Republican Party but if Chase A Dream can work to the lead and put him three back on the markers his task becomes far more difficult but not impossible.
It probably matters a lot less what happens to Beside Me in the Oaks as she looks a wonderful staying filly who is perfectly suited by the step up to 2700m tonight.
She showed good gate speed for catch driver Tony Herlihy last Saturday and our most successful ever reinsman says the filly is the real deal.
“It is cool hearing Tony talk about her like that and I’d like to go forward and lead on her,” says Dalgety.
“I don’t think she has to lead to win but being on the markers would be way better.”
While Arafura is a smart front runner drawn the ace she does have Without You on her back so if she leads and gets attacked early she would be better relenting than leading with enemies all around.
Stella Rouge has looked a very, very good filly and in any normal Oaks would be the favourite but drawn outside Beside Me and the other favourites she is going to need to do something special to win.
Dalgety is looking at another ground-saving run with The Queens Gambit (R3, No.1) in the two-year-old fillies races tonight but says with the Delightful Lady Final next week he might prefer to trail Australian visitor Ripples as she heads forward at the start.
Ripples was a brilliant winner of the Bathurst Gold Tiara in a 1:53.9 mile rate last start and will be the first New Zealand start for Victorian training superstar Emma Stewart.
If she leads only a failure to handle the right-handed Alexandra Park would seem a danger to her.
What they said about the Group 1s tonight :
R5, Pascoes Northern Oaks: “She is a really good filly, she doesn’t feel like she is going fast when she is,” last Saturday’s catch driver Tony Herlihy on Beside Me.
R6, Breckons Trotting Derby: “Our filly went great last week but Meant To Be has to be the one to beat on his last start win,” John Dunn on Ya Rite Darl.
R7, Woodlands Northern Derby: “He will be back to his Harness Million [winning] fitness levels this week,” Marketplace’s trainer Regan Todd.
R8: Fiskens Anzac Cup: “They will run so hard how all those good horses step and where they end up will be crucial,” Oscar Bonavena’s trainer Mark Purdon.
R9: Dawson Harford Messenger: “I’d love it if we could trail Rakero Rocket and he stayed in front,” Carter Dalgety on Republican Party.
