It’s Friday night and that means a huge night of racing at both Addington and Alexandra Park. Direct qualification for the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup and the Renwick Farms Dominion Trot is on the line at Addington while Jeremiah looks the one to beat in the new Metro Final at Auckland.
Sherlock returns in tough first up assignment at Addington.
By Michael Guerin
The TAB bookies and trainer Nathan Purdon don’t see eye to eye on Sherlock’s return at Addington on Friday tonight.
While both think he can win the bookies, and early punters, seem far more confident than the four-year-old’s co-trainer.
Sherlock returns in the $40,000 Avon City Ford New Brighton Cup (8.05pm) having spent much of the second half of last season in Victoria.
He developed a throat issue while there that required an operation and then got sick upon returning home so it has been a long time between races for the fast son of Vincent.
Sherlock has looked sharp at two recent trials including beating Republican Party at Rangiora last week but Purdon says it is very hard to win after such a long layoff, especially one that had its issues.
“He is a really fast horse so I am not saying he won’t win but I wouldn’t be surprised if he needs a run,” says Purdon.
“Even after his trials he has some trimming up to do and I don’t think Blair will be over driving him.
“So it could depend on where he settles and the tempo but he will definitely improve with the run.”
Making life even tougher for Sherlock is the fact all his rivals have had at least one start this campaign or more so they have to be fitter than him.
The Dunn army return tonight after winning the last two feature paces on Friday nights and it is hard to decide between their four chances, with perhaps Charlie Brown their best hope but Who’s Delight maybe the big improver.
The Team Telfer pair of Ohoka Connor and B D Joe both come forward 10m in the handicaps compared with the Maurice Holmes Vase two weeks ago but whether Ohoka Connor can step cleanly and take advantage of that could decide his chances.
Purdon will have an even better open class pacer to send out soon as Don’t Stop Dreaming remains at his Christchurch property even though it was suggested he was heading north to his father Mark.
“He ended up staying here and he is going well, he seems over the issues he had so will trial in two weeks and race about 10 days out from the Ashburton Flying Stakes.”
Purdon starts to bring more horses back to the races tonight and likes some of the team’s prospects.
“Look To Da Stars could win Race 2 but he could also finish last because he can be hit and miss.
“Party Central is a nice horse we have in Race 6 (Ark Financial Group Mobile Pace) and he is ready to go so will go close.”
Treacherous Baby races in the Nevele R Fillies heat and was eye-catching flying home last week so is an obvious chance if she can get the right tow into the race from a poor draw in a big field.
Purdon says that High Step, who resumes in Race 9, the Maia Health Foundation Handicap Trot, is working well.
“His work this week has been good and she has good standing start manners so I think she is one of our better chances.”
Dunns out to extend winning run in the Ordeal
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
Diamond Racing will line up the two favourites and the defending champion in the $40,000 Hickman Family Ordeal Trotting Cup (7.15pm), with the winner automatically qualifying for the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion Trot on IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup day at Addington Raceway on Tuesday, November 12.
Robert and Jenna Dunn ,the country’s leading trainers, with 107 wins so far this year, have three well-credentialled runners in the event, with John Dunn opting for $4.40 favourite Sunnys Sister while Tim Williams will drive last start winner Mighty Logan and Blair Orange will team up with defending champion Aardiebythehill.
Last year he took out the Group 3 after a gripping battle with Muscle Mountain, who was slow away and went down by half a head.
Aardiebythehill is currently at $13.
Team Dunn has won four of the last five Ordeal Cups, all of them driven by John Dunn. Sundees Son won three in a row, with his 2019 win in a race record 3:13.5.
Paul Nairn also holds a strong hand with his last start winners Tectonic ($8.50) and Confessional ($6), who he will drive himself.
Jeremiah one to beat in Metro Final at Alexandra Park
By Michael Guerin
When a horse gets his own way in front and falls in to win it usually isn’t a good next-up form pointer.
But don’t be fooled in to thinking that sums up Jeremiah’s chances in the first $35,000 Lather Up Northern Metro Final at Alexandra Park tonight (7.30pm).
Because co-trainer Scott Phelan says a seemingly poor second line draw tonight could actually aid the three-year-old over the 2200m mobile.
Jeremiah was too good for many he meets tonight in a heat of this series but on that occasion led, only paced a sedate 2:42 and his last 800m in 56.1 seconds so had every right to win.
“I don’t think we saw the best of him that night because he is not actually a leader,” explains Phelan.
“He is a better chaser and I think you will see that in the second half of the season.
“He is a pretty good horse and we think he might be one of the better three-year-olds in the country.
“We’d love to get him into THE VELOCITY at Addington on Show Day and we think he isn’t far behind Cold Chisel [Great Northern Derby winner].”
If that is the case then Jeremiah is the one to beat even from the second line tonight in a race that shows the Metro series concept is working as it has real depth including Always B Elite (favourite’s stablemate), Hawkeye Pierce and the in-form Seaclusion.
The Purdon/Phelan stable has a host of good chances throughout the night starting with Ilsa Son in Race 1, The What The Hill – Sire of Square Gait Stars Handicap Trot. He was trapped wide last time but Phelan expects him to be better suited by the 2200m step and run tonight.
Invisible and former Southland pacer Hezasweetie can both be prominent in Race 2, the Downbytheseaside – Making A Splash Mobile Pace, although the latter’s inside second line draw negates his gate speed on his northern debut.
The stable has smart juvenile fillies Won And Only and I’m Sandra Dee in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Sires’ Stakes heat which features the majority of the field backing up from last Friday’s abandoned fillies race after a race smash.
How that has impacted the confidence of the fillies involved is impossible to know but with most coming from major stables punters should be comfortable they wouldn’t be lining up if the signs had not been good.
It features a battle between Purdon/Phelan and Team Telfer as does the Woodlands Sires’ Stakes heat for boys in the very next race in which Bar Louie’s front line draw gives him the edge over the Purdon/Phelan trio of Confederate, I Got Chills and The Night Agent, all drawn the second line.
Meanwhile, Phelan was thrilled with how the stable big guns Merlin, Sooner The Better and Mach Shard came through their first public workout of a new campaign at Pukekohe last week.
“They are all doing great, so well we don’t think they will need another workout before the Spring Cup [September 20].”
