Cran Dalgety feels like things have come full circle.
Nearly thirty years ago, when he was about the same age as his young gun son Carter, Dalgety made his first trip to Melbourne as a running coach chasing a dream.
Desperate Comment made that dream come true by topping one of the greatest Victoria Cup fields of all time and winning it in 1996. The defeated brigade included Master Musician, Jack Morris, Sunshine Band, Young Mister Charles, Norms Daughter and Brabham.
A year later, Dalgety returned with Desperate Comment and did it again.
The field was almost as strong. He defeated Iraklis, Our Sir Vancelot, Norms Daughter, Brabham and others.
It was an era when Dalgety, Mark and Barry Purdon and Anthony and Tim Butt crossed the ditch and successfully flew the Kiwi flag in Australia’s biggest races, especially at Moonee Valley.
It also launched a chapter in which NZ’s open class stars were, by and large, better than ours.
Fast forward to now, at a stage when it’s the Aussies who dominate the open class majors in this part of the world, and Dalgety is warming up to a household name.
“It feels a bit like those first days in the Valley,” Dalgety said. “Only this time we’re trying to beat the Aussies in our backyard.”
Dalgety and his latest Republican Party stable star look by far the best Kiwi hope to fend off the Australian raiders in tomorrow’s (Tuesday) week’s $NZ1 million IRT NZ Trotting Cup.
And Kiwi pride is at stake.
Australia – or Swayzee to be precise – has won the past two NZ Cups, New Zealand’s biggest race of all time.
Unfortunately, Swayzee won’t return to chase a three-peat after an interrupted campaign and untimely cold.
But Leap To Fame and Kingman – the two best players in Australia – will be there.
A few months ago, Dalgety, like most people, had a feeling the Republican Party would be chasing something like his third-place finish in last year’s NZ Cup.
But things have changed… on two fronts.
The Republican Party has gone to another level. He’s just so dominant in NZ.
There was real arrogance about the way he played with his rivals in last Monday’s Ashburton Flying Stakes.
Importantly, he did it from the front, rather than stalking.
Hold that thought for a moment.
The other change? Leap To Fame’s two recent Melton losses.
Any way you look at it, it has taken away one of his greatest weapons, something he has earned over time: the power of intimidation.
Dalgety’s son Carter at the Republican Party, and I suspect Luke McCarthy at Kingman, won’t relinquish the lead now if they get their lead on Leap To Fame.
“No, we now have a horse that we think can and should be ridden to win the race, not look for an easier run to finish second or third,” Dalgety said.
“It took two years to get him here and now he’s ready. When Leap To Fame comes and we’re at the front, Carter won’t surrender.”
“I’ve been trying to win this race for 35 years, this is my best chance. He’s doing so well that I’d rather go to battle than wonder what could have happened.”
“Maybe Leap To Fame has come back to us a bit too. Even the great champions have a period of dominance where they are almost unstoppable. He certainly has had that, but those few defeats in Melbourne, especially the Victoria Cup, when he had to do the job outside the leader, give us hope.”
Dalgety also takes heart from how close the Republican Party came to Leap To Fame in the Hunter Cup earlier this year.
“I know my horse is better than he was then, a lot better,” he said.
Fittingly, Dalgety is likely to bring the Republican Party back to Melbourne early next year to once again hunt for the Hunter Cup.
It will be the 30e anniversary since Desperate Comment’s first Victoria Cup win at the same time of year.
Through Adam Hamilton for Harness Racing Victoria
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