By Michael Guerin
Two couples who have put faith in their sons received the ultimate racing reward at Alexandra Park on Tuesday night.
Because when Republican Party and Muscle Mountain won their respective Group 1s their trainers were just as proud of their drivers as their horses.
Republican Party captured Alexandra Park’s biggest race, the $250,000 Trillian Trust Auckland Cup after a step-trail-and-wait drive by Carter Dalgety on the little pacer trained by his parents Cran and Chrissie.
It was the biggest win for the horse, Chrissie and Carter and while Cran may still be the stable boss he knows that it wasn’t him in the spotlight on this beautiful Auckland night.
“Chrissie and I are both so happy for Carter,” said Dalgety.
“He is a young man with a lot of options in life and this is what he has chosen to do and when your son makes that decision you want to see it work out for him,” said Dalgety.
Dalgety’s latest Group 1 success comes a day after he secured his first Junior Drivers Premiership.
“So to see how big a season he has had and to have it capped like this means the world to us.”
Carter has found the right horse at the right time too, with Republican Party a brave little stayer with good manners, a combination that has taken him into third in the New Zealand Cup in November before the Group 1 double of the Invercargill and Auckland Cups inside two weeks.
“That was a gamble, taking him to both races, but the flight between Christchurch and Auckland was the deciding factor and we have to thank IRT for their help with that.”
The Dalgetys could be calling on IRT again soon as Republican Party may have won himself a trip to Victoria for the Hunter Cup on February 1.
“It could be a race that really suits him because staying is his thing,” says Dalgety.
“So we will have a look at the programmes and also find out where Leap To Fame is at and Swayzee will be up to and then make a decision.”
Republican Party trailed Sooner The Better for most of the Cup and was headed by Merlin at the top of the straight as the favourite stormed up wide on the track after sitting near last for most of the race, having had little luck in the early shuffle up.
He looked the winner at the 400m but Republican Party had saved too much ground and while beaten Merlin was very brave, just meeting a rival in career best form in a race that suited him better.
Sooner The Better stuck in well for third while second favourite Don’t Stop Dreaming got back on the inside and was never a winning factor.
The Dalgetys weren’t the only Canterbury couple dishing out hugs to their driver after a Group 1 on Tuesday as Greg and Nina Hope were in the same position when their son Ben reined Muscle Mountain to an effortless win in the $100,000 Peter Breckon Memorial National Trot.
The race was over as a contest before it even really started when favourite Oscar Bonavena broke just before the mobile dispatched, leaving Muscle Mountain to stroll to the lead while Oscar settled 40m behind him.
From there Ben Hope barely needed to ask Muscle Mountain for an effort until Oscar Bonavena swept up out wide at the 600m but you could see that challenge was going to be in vain.
Hope, wearing a borrowed set of John Dickie’s colours after his bag didn’t join him on the plane from Christchurch to Auckland, stoked Muscle Mountain up and they cruised to a five and a half length win, courtesy of a 56.3 second last 800m.
Even without his arch rival to push him Muscle Mountain still trotted the 2700m mobile on a windy night in a sharp 3:22.7 and looks back to something like his best after a rollercoaster year.
“It means a lot to me and Mum and Dad to have him back to his best,” said Hope.
“It has been a frustrating year with him but he felt great tonight and I wanted to salute at the winning post to show what a great job they [parents] have done with him.”
Muscle Mountain is now likely to return home for features at Addington but is very much in contention for the TAB Trot at Cambridge on April 4 and the Rowe Cup after that.