It’s Friday night and the big guns, including Merlin, are back at Alexandra Park tonight while top trotting filly Empire City returns at Addington as she plots her way to THE ASCENT later in November.
Merlin and strong Purdon/Phelan team fronting up at Alexandra Park
By Michael Guerin
Scott Phelan finds himself in the unusual position of holding the key to beating his favourite horse in tonight’s $40,000 IRT Spring Cup at Alexandra Park tonight (8.49pm).
Phelan and senior training partner Barry Purdon have a huge team at tonight’s meeting as spring racing in the north steps up several notches, much of it aimed at the upcoming Harness Million and then IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup week in Christchurch.
The stable has winning chances in all three major races tonight but it is the return of open class superstars Merlin, Mach Shard and Sooner The Better in the Spring Cup that creates most interest.
They all had wonderful first halves of 2024, Merlin winning the $1million Race by Grins, Mach Shard causing two stunning upsets in the Taylor Mile and Messenger and Sooner The Better pushing Leap To Fame close when second in the Miracle Mile.
It means the Purdon/Phelan stable go into the spring with the most powerful open class pacing team in the country, with Merlin the biggest of the big names.
His racetrack performances have mirrored his physical development, the four-year-old turning into a beast and probably the best pacer in the country.
But that far from guarantees him victory in his comeback race tonight as he and Mach Shard start on 20m handicaps while Sooner The Better, with Phelan driving, starts on the front line with some hard-running speedsters for company.
Fresh up races for elite pacers are often fraught with danger for punters as few trainers want their horses having a gut buster to start a campaign.
There is little doubt Merlin is the best horse in tonight’s race and give him the right drag into it over the last 800m and he might blow them away. But if the field gets into single file, a leader like Sooner The Better or Fernleigh Cash ticks them over at a steady rate and then powers home over the last 800m in 55 seconds, those coming wide and trying to make ground might be on a hiding to nothing.
“That is why these are tricky races and to be honest I don’t think we should be asked to start horses off 20m handicaps fresh up,” says Phelan.
“I am not saying either of them can’t win because we know how good Merlin is and Mach Shard has been working great and if they got dragged up into the one-one then they could win.
“And Merlin is in the great position that if we go too slow he can come sit parked because he relaxes so well there, but it is still hard to win doing that.
“So if I had to opt for one of our three it would be Sooner The Better only because of the 20m head start.”
The stable won’t have things all their own way though with Fernleigh Cash a good beginner and race fit while Jolimont is on his way to open class and Lady Of The Light is a big, rolling mare who could be hard to get around if she finds the markers.
Phelan says their unassuming filly Won And Only (R7, No.3) could take catching in tonight’s $107,000 Caduceus Club 2YO Classic, with her last-start win over many of these better than it looked as she burned through the hectic first half of the race yet still held out the swoopers.
That Group 1, like the Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes 2YO Colts and Geldings Heat, are both big fields full of chances so sectionals and early pressure could be crucial factors.
Earlier in the night the Purdon/Phelan stable has two high-class three-year-olds in the Auckland Co-op Taxis 300-3000 Northern Stakes and while Derby winner Cold Chisel is the more proven Bare Knuckle Up’s race fitness might give him and edge as the stable goes head to head with Arna Donnelly’s four reps.
For all the class of those feature race contenders, Jeremiah (R2, No.6) is probably their best winning chance tonight, in the 100% Home Albany Extreme Mobile Pace, as he drops down in class.
Empire City is on the ASCENT at Addington tonight
By Michael Guerin
Don’t let Empire City’s lack of trials put you off her in tonight’s $60,000 Macca Lodge Sires’ Stakes Classique at Addington (6.48pm).
The high class three-year-old filly hasn’t been seen since Alexandra Park in May but trainer Phil Williamson says she is ready to go.
The country’s highest-rated young trotter faces starting from the outside of the front line in the 1980m mobile, something which irks Williamson who doesn’t think group races for young trotters should have preferential draws. But he can’t control that. What he can control is how ready Empire City is and he says he devised a “meticulous plan” to have her fit.
“We are lucky that we have horses she can work with at home to get her ready enough without trials,” says Williamson.
“So I worked on that plan and believe me, she is good enough to work with any of my best trotters.
“So she is ready. She is fit and I won’t be using that as an excuse.”
Williamson says it is now up to Empire City to prove she is still the best three-year-old trotter in the country, a title which is no gimme as other smart youngsters start to emerge.
“There are some really nice horses around and a filly in this race (Four Wise Women) who is unbeaten in three starts.
“And then looking further down the track to the slot race we could have Keayang Zahara come over from Australia and she might be at another level.”
The first ever $500,000 THE ASCENT slot race for the three-year-old trotters will be held at Addington on Show day, November 15, with the connections of boom Victorian filly Keayang Zahara indicating they could be keen on heading across the Tasman.
The daughter of Volstead was stunning winning the $100,000 Group 1 Vicbred final for three-year-old trotting fillies at Melton on Saturday night. It was her sixth win from as many starts as she did all the work and cruised away to win by 13m in a stunning 1min56.8sec mile rate for 2240m.
“So they will all have to keep improving, including our filly,” says Williamson.
The best indication that Williamson thinks Empire City is ready for tonight’s challenge is that he would be comfortable if driver Ricky May chooses to go forward at the start, a nice change from the many trainers who like their horses driven conservatively to start their campaigns.
Of course, with the lion’s share of $60,000 up for grabs and most inside her nowhere near Empire City’s class yet it would make sense to put most of them behind her before starting the last lap.
Trotters also start the night with some exciting youngsters in the IRT Sires’ Stakes Prelude for the juveniles, where Habibti Pat has opened favourite up against Frazzled, who was really good in her comeback race last Friday.
Frazzled’s pacing stablemate Got The Chocolates returns in the Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes Colts and Geldings Heat but faces last-start winners Party Central (1) and The Con Artist (9).