After impressing in testing, Makani ($3.80FF) will start in Race 1, the 4 Blokes Syndicate Mobile Trot, while stablemate Major Miss ($6FF) will debut in Race 5, the Betavet/B and T White Racing Stables Mobile Pace. Both will be ridden by Jonny Cox.
Payne purchased Makani for $23,000 at the 2024 National Yearling Sales.
“I saw it on the Southland tour looking at yearlings and liked it even more at the sale, so I put my hand up and bought it.”
“We were going to race him as a two-year-old, but he turned a fraud and we tipped him off.”
“He’s a very nice horse, but girl trotters, you never know what’s going to happen, right? But he’s usually safe.”
Now three, he has taken four wins from five stages leading up to his first start on race day.
“I’ll leave the riding to Jonny, but if he wants to move forward I’m sure they will, but if he flops out, sits down and comes off his helmet I’m not too worried.”
While Makani is a ‘cruisy dude’, fellow debutante Major Miss is ‘a bit funny’ and ‘can be a handful at times’.
The Art major The five-year-old did not show up to the same standard at the trials, but did win a three-horse training session at Rangiora in December.
“She’s quite a speed horse and she should probably crawl away for a bit and then run at them.”
“Her work has been very good,” says Payne, “at her best if she gets a nice, fun trip she would be a good top three show.”
The 10-race card at Ashburton starts at 1.32pm.
Click to see Ashburton’s fields here
Through Dave Di Sommafor Harness News Desk
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