By Jonny Turner
Matthew Williamson is itching to get into the harness racing hot seat at Cromwell on Friday.
The Oamaru reinsman has received the call-up to drive two strong winning threats on the first of two days of harness racing over the weekend in Eurokash and Homebush Lad.
Williamson is no stranger to wearing the Greg and Nina Hope colours but will link up with Eurokash for the first time in the feature trot, the Oakley Plumbing Supplies Handicap Tot (5.08pm) and the driver thinks he can make the most of his opportunity.
“It is great to get on two good chances for Greg and Nina on Friday.”
“They have been great to me over the years and we have had a bit of luck.”
“Eurokash looks a great chance — it is a bit of a drop back in grade for him.”
“He’s a nice horse and if he can get away and get a nice enough run he should be a great chance.”
Homebush Lad did not get a run to suit in his last start in last weekend’s Gore Summer Cup. But the pacer can bounce back in Friday’s pacing feature, the McNulty’s Transport Handicap Pace (6.46pm).
“Miraculous looks the horse to beat but Homebush Lad has to be a good each-way chance.
“He loves the grass and the longer distance.”
Williamson drives eight horses with Florence The Machine rating among his best winning threats on ability in Race 9, the Mojo Modern Joinery Trot (7.14pm).
But the trotter has been making plenty of early errors recently which she cannot afford to repeat.
“Hopefully, she is getting a bit closer to doing things right because she has the ability there to win a race like that on Friday if she can get away.”
The Williamson-trained Pyramid Rose clashes with Florence The Machine on Friday.
“She has been a bit the same lately. She’s made a couple of mistakes but the ability is definitely there.”
Despite his patchy form line, Mighty Miki looks a winning hope for Williamson.
The pacer was checked early in his last start at Gore and had little hope after.
Jay Bee Hill and She’s A Jewel look top-four hopes among the reinsman’s outside drives.
While Harold Hanover rates the clear outsider of Williamson’s drives, he would not be surprised if the pacer ran a cheeky race.
“He won the last time I drove him and he beat Captain Amore who has been going well since.”
“If he got a soft run from the draw it wouldn’t surprise me if he went a cheeky race. The horses in that grade are very even.”
Williamson also links up with Cruising Fontana who must contend with barrier 8 in race 1.
Five to follow at Cromwell
Racing journalist Jonny Turner has analysed the colliding form lines from both further north and south to come up with five horses to follow on day one.
Harold Hanover – Race 4
Being unable to crack the top eight in your last two starts generally isn’t the best form recommendation. But circumstances have been totally against Harold Hanover recently. The pacer has been caught three-wide for most of his last three starts, after breaking through for a maiden victory at Ascot Park previously. Harold Hanover doesn’t deserve to be among the favourites for race 4, but he also doesn’t deserve to rate the $34 outsider of the field, as he was in the race’s initial fixed odds market. This week a change of luck could be on the cards, with the five-year-old following out a fast beginner and strong winning hope in Paradise Valley. If Harold Hanover can settle in the trail of three back on the inner, he looks at least a top-four or place chance and possibly a cheeky win threat. Leading reinsman Matthew Williamson jumps in the sulky this week, which can only help the pacer. At big odds, there are far worse options for a cheeky dollar each way on Friday.
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Eurokash – Race 5
Friday’s feature trot looks to set up perfectly for Eurokash. The trotter steps back in grade after taking on Group 3 company over a less than ideal sprint trip at Addington. At Cromwell, Eurokash gets back on grass and over the longer trip of 2600m, against a field he looks very well placed in. With an early scratching, the trotter takes on just four other rivals, with few of them having raced at the kind of level Eurokash has in his career. His 20m handicap looks very workable and Eurokash should take plenty of holding out in his Cromwell raid.
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Deceptive Lee – Race 7
For a horse that has been to the fringes of open class, Deceptive Lee looks ideally placed in Friday’s junior drivers’ event. With early speed to burn and a sweet draw in barrier 4, driver Seth Hill is sure to have his eyes on the early lead. Over 1800m at Cromwell, there is no better place to be and it should give Deceptive Lee his winning shot. While his winning strike rate of six from 54 suggests he is far from a certainty, the seven-year-old has raced in strong company in many of those outings. He’s also placed in two of three starts at Cromwell and was unlucky not to win his last start there when a flat tyre cost him as he went down in a stronger grade two starts ago.
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Miraculous – Race 8
There looks to be a key ingredient in Miraculous’ quest to break through for a well-deserved win, having last scored in October of last year. The pacer went down by a small margin in the Wairio Cup when making up plenty of late ground after starting from a 20m handicap. While the four-year-old faces the same mark on Friday, he faces just five other rivals in a field that looks even more suitable. It should add up to Miraculous getting a big chance to break through after producing strong form through summer. Of course the horse must make a good beginning to help his winning chances, but he has been doing exactly that recently.
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Secret Agent Man – Race 10
He’s set to start the shortest-priced favourite on Friday and deservedly so. Secret Agent Man has only tasted defeat once in his short career, going down by the barest of margins two starts ago. The four-year-old bounced back when dispatching with a handy line up at the same track, despite sitting parked.
The field Secret Agent Man faces on Friday is a step up from that win, but it looks well within the pacer’s range. The old saying goes there is no such thing as a good thing, but Secret Agent Man looks as close as you will find at Cromwell.
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