The first is that the Republican Party (Gambler’s delight) is ready to win even the toughest draw and the second is that Franco Sinatra will be better off without hopples in the same race.
Dalgety and his wife Chrissie will attempt something that is a rarity in open class racing in New Zealand these days when starting Franco Sinatra is in the program tonight without a hitch.
Mach Shard is a big race winner who has sometimes run without hopples in recent years, but it is not yet common. Dalgety says he’s tried it a few times with lower quality horses.
“I just think he’ll be better without them,” he says.
“He always walks around with free legs and I’ve been thinking about trying it for a while.
“We took them to Addington on Monday and he worked better than normal without hopples, so that’s how he’ll race on Friday.”
But while Franco Sinatra was good enough to win the Junior Free-For-All on New Zealand Cup day, he will have long odds tonight as many of the South Island’s top pacers contest the 1980m mobile.
For horses like Republican Party and We Walk By Faith it could be a run-in to next Friday’s $100,000 Invercargill Cup, while if the flights work the Republican Party could head to Alexandra Park to defend its Auckland Cup title.
With those two Group 1s in front and Barrier 9 drawn tonight, you could easily imagine a situation where the Republican Party is allowed to relax early and that wouldn’t be so relaxing for the gamblers taking his $1.55 prize.
But Dalgety says that doesn’t have to be the case.
“The way he worked on Monday, he is fit and ready to go,” he said.
“I know it’s a lead-up race to bigger races in the next two weeks, but it’s still $40,000 and we’re still there to win.
“I don’t know what those horses will do in him and we won’t give Carter any instructions, he can go out and run his own race.
“But I think he’s ready to be put in the race if things work out that way.”
However, there is a lot of depth in the field and if the Republican Party is to remain parked, We Walk By Faith will take a beating, while the real enigma of the race could be Chase A Dream, now trained by the Dunns.
Add Alta Meteor and Mo’unga and it’s a great little Group 3.
Earlier in the evening, the Dalgetys go into Race 1 with Eun Sogno, understandably confident.
The two-year-old beat Sonofamistery last start and the latter came in last week, so while he steps up tonight, Eun Sogno should have a class lead over his older rivals as he prepares to head to Invercargill next Friday for a $30,000 youth pace.
For full race entries, click here.
Through Michael Guerinfor Harness Racing New Zealand
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