There could be a race within a race in the $60,000 NZB Airfreight Flying Stakes at Ashburton.
Group 2 is traditionally the main build-up to the IRT New Zealand Cup in Addington on November 11, although this season has the main side plot of Australians turning out on Cup Day to challenge the local hard-hitters.
Leap To Fame’s Cup lead looks back on track after his win at Melton on Saturday night with his trainer Grant Dixon saying he is likely to make the trip and had another $2 favorite with the TAB.
Beyond that, the New Zealand open class has seen a shift in power so far this spring, starting with five or six pacesetters of around the same level, with the Republican Party becoming the clear top dog.
A small dog, but still a top dog.
He probably already was after a surprisingly dominant six months between November last year and May this year, during which he won the Invercargill and Auckland Cups, then the Messenger and the Roy Purdon, all in Group 1.
The Republican Party had always been a good horse, but never THE horse, but he has grown stronger as he matured and the durability and toughness that are the best qualities of the lineage of his champion sire Bettors Delight have been deployed.
This has also encouraged his young driver Carter Dalgety.
“I find that if I ride him like a really good horse, that’s when he performs best,” said Dalgety, whose parents Cran and Chrissie train the Republican Party.
“He has now earned respect because if I approach him and he gets the front, I keep going at a good pace and that means every other horse gets his chance too.”
That could sum up today’s standing start at 8,000 feet, because if all the key players get on safely, it’s hard to imagine that most of their drivers wouldn’t be eager to blaze a trail against the Republican Party.
The last thing they want is an early 800m, leaving them in late trouble and a headache and a blow to their confidence heading into Cup week. With his recent form and earned respect, the Republican Party’s odds at $2.80 seem reasonable.
However, there are definitely rivals good enough to beat him, led by Hayden and Amanda Cullen-trained duo We Walk By Faith and Don’t Stop Dreaming.
Both have raced well this spring and Don’t Stop Dreaming in particular appears to be going from strength to strength, having driven the Republican Party home when he defeated many of them in the last start of the Canterbury Classic.
“We’re both in a really good place and Don’t Stop Dreaming is nearing its peak,” says Cullen.
“But I would narrowly choose We Walk By Faith as our best bet of the two on Monday.”
As strong as the Flying Stakes is, many of the other races will also provide clues to the Group 1 of Cup week.
The three-year-old pace gives Marketplace (R7, No. 5) a chance to return to winning form, but that won’t be a gimme as Got The Chocolates has at least partially closed the gap between the pair.
The two-year-old fillies are still training, so Race 4 looks even and whoever gets the best run should win.
The same could be said for the Nevele R Fillies heat as some very good three-year-old fillies go head to head and perhaps the best of them Captains Mistress (R8, No. 1) returns from a Queensland campaign but is fresh from just one trial.
The Cullens have three in that race and Hayden suggests Arafura is their best chance, but it’s a stacked race with a lot of moving parts.
The young male pacers in Race 10 get a welcome change from the undefeated (and perhaps unbeatable) Jumal and Cullen says their favorite Zeus Lightning is ready to win, but his draw will make things interesting.
Today’s two main harness races look a little clearer, with Muscle Mountain the standout in the Flying Sprint (R9, No. 2) which it is trying to win for the fourth time versus last season’s winner Bet N Win, who may be disadvantaged by both the draw and a lack of recent racing.
There is little doubt that Meant To Be (R6, No. 12) is the best horse in the three-year-old trot, but he finds himself in the unruly 1700 meters with some speed in him from Ya Rite Darl, Habibti Pat (clumsily drawn) and Tarragindi. If the great northerner can roll over them, it will be a huge clue to what lies ahead.
For full race entries, click here
Through Michael Guerinfor Harness Racing New Zealand
#Top #fields #assembled #Ashburton #Flying #Stakes #day