Last night in Cambridge, Canada’s James MacDonald and Sweden’s Mats Djuse achieved two wins each and the Dutch team also shone by moving from ninth to fourth place thanks to one win, two thirds and a fourth.
His win was his first of the series so far.
Halfway through (10 of 20 heats), the Dutch team has 68 points, 30 leaders behind leader and 2017 WDC champion MacDonald (98).
MacDonald’s night started strong in Heat 6, where he guided the Steve and Amanda Telfer-trained Captain’s Secret to victory. MacDonald rode perfectly into barrier two for the 1700m run and used the pacesetter’s early speed to take control heading into the first corner. After briefly handing it over to the Bruntwood Brigade, he quickly returned outside to reclaim the front and dictate terms from there. Captain’s Secret never looked back and powered home in a sharp 1:55.2 mile to score a length.
Heat 7 saw Sweden’s Mats Djuse hit back with a perfectly judged drive aboard the Ival Brownlee-trained Brienne. From the inside, Djuse positioned the mare in the course and made the most of the passing lane, sprinting late to score by half a length.
MacDonald added another to his tally in Heat 8, partnering the Jay Abernethy-trained Mick Konstantin. Once again, the Canadian made the most of the one-draw barrier, pinging straight into the lead and never looking back. The gelding traveled sweetly through and left his rivals standing when MacDonald called for a try in the 800 metres, taking an emphatic victory by five lengths.
Djuse wasn’t done yet, claiming his second win of the night in Heat 9 behind Son Of Patrick, trained by Derek and Neita Balle. After putting three back in the running line, the Swede put the gelding wide in the corner from the 500m mark and finished strongly to catch the leaders straight on the line, winning by a narrow head in a thrilling finish.
The Dutch team did their utmost and delivered a dominant performance with Melton Mogul for trainer Scott Dickson. Oranje was beautifully in the one-one and waited until the home straight to make his move, unleashing a powerful sprint to win by two and three-quarter lengths – a confident drive that reminded everyone why he is among the best in the business.
WDC Leaderboard (after 10 heats):
James MacDonald (Canada) 98
Gary Hall Junior (Australia) 85
Michael Nimczyk (Germany) 69
Blair Orange (New Zealand) 68
Santtu Raitala (Finland) 62
Mats Djuse (Sweden) 57
Giampaolo Minnucci (Italy) 54
Pierre Vercruysse (France) 51
Jaap van Rijn (Netherlands) 51
Brett Beckwith (USA) 46
The WDC now heads to Addington for a further five heats on Friday before heading to Winton on Sunday for another four for the 20th and final heat of the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup day in Addington next Tuesday.
For full race results, click here
Through Jordyn Bublitz for Harness Racing New Zealand
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