By Michael Guerin
The New Zealand Cup may still be almost five months away that doesn’t stop Pukekohe trainer Jeremy Young from thinking about it every day.
Young will take three horses to Cambridge tonight and could win two races, having two chances in Race 6, the Dunstan Horsefeeds Mobile Pace, with both Fifth And Final and Mantra drawn to be hard to beat.
But Young has a far bigger target later in the season on his mind and he is going to get it his best shot at getting stable star Lady Of The Light to that NZ Cup.
Lady Of The Light hasn’t raced since a luckless Addington campaign in February but earlier in the summer gave Young his second Group 1 training success when she won the Queen Of Hearts at Alexandra Park.
Young says he and the owners are keen to see how Lady Of The Light measures up at the highest level so will be putting in a New Zealand Cup nomination.
“We will let her tell us if she is up to it and one of the first things we want to do it get her some standing start practice,” says Young.
“She has been back in work quiite a while and I was thrilled when I saw her, she has really put muscle on.
“She has had about three hoppled runs so things will start to get more serious next month.”
Young is doing something he rarely does by lining up handy mare Gladys Greenland in the first heat of the NZ Amateur Driving Champs tonight.
“This is her first time in the amateurs but it is a penalty race for four-year-olds and over and that is what convinced me.
“I have a good driver in Warren Rich but it will up to him what she does at the start.”
While both Fifth And Final (No.2) and Mantra (No.3) could win Race 6, Young says he opts for Fifth And Final as his better chance.
“He is racing well and is a good tough horse.”
Other highlights tonight include Sacred Mountain trying to overcome a 50m handicap in the main trot, the Betavet Protect Handicap Trot, while in-form mare Seaclusion sees James Stormont returning north to drive her in Race 4, the Lewis Lawyers Mobile Pace.
