Racing: Class acts out to break the rules - NZ Herald (2024)

By MICHAEL GUERIN

Tonight's Sires' Stakes heat could be an exception to the usual rules of racing at Cambridge.

The Waikato track has a tricky mile starting point which always favours those drawn inside barriers and on a track suited to front runners it takes a brave punter to bet on a horse drawn poorly in a sprint.

But chance may favour the brave in the first northern heat of the series tonight.

The race has drawn an outstanding field for this early in the season and is so even simply selecting the favourite is a task in itself.

It contains the north's best juvenile of last season in All Hart, last season's freakish freshman filly Elect To Live, arguably New Zealand's fastest 3-y-o beginner from behind the mobile in Trot West Bandit and the most hyped maiden in the north in Bocelli.

Add to that potential classic performers Lord Vicolo, Kurahaupo Kruzar, Rhonite Rock and Wai Tu Kay and you have a race a little more interesting that your average Cambridge sprint on a Thursday night.

While smart sorts Kurahaupo Kruzar and Bocelli have the best draws of that bunch, the key to the race is whether they have enough speed to hold out Trot West Bandit at the start.

The latter showed real brilliance to lead in a sprint at Alexandra Park last start and bolted in after pacing his last 400m in a turbo-charged 27.1 seconds, a time rarely bettered off the front at Alexandra Park.

If he can use his gate speed to cross to the lead, which will be tough with the erratic but speedy Rhonite Rock inside him, then he will be the horse to beat.

But it won't simply be a matter of him finding the front and being too good.

Both Rhonite Rock and his iron-lady stablemate Elect To Live love to roll along and it would surprise if at least one of them didn't press forward and turn the race into a survival of the fittest.

Trainer Neil Brady confirmed yesterday Elect To Live was ready for her comeback even if she has not physically developed much since last season when she shone even as the runt of the juvenile litter.

She will be driven tonight by Peter Ferguson and has shown the ability to beat good horses (Jack Cade and Tricky Vic) when coming from off the pace so the tactics employed with her from the outside of the front line will be interesting.

If the leaders do go ballistic early, which is a real possibility, then they will have to slow up at some stage and that could play into the hooves of All Hart and, to a lesser extent, Lord Vicolo.

All Hart looked awesome when winning his seasonal debut at Alexandra Park last week and is in for a huge season but tonight faces a horror draw and will be without regular driver David Butcher, who is on holiday. Trainer Geoff Small, who has a good record at Cambridge, takes the reins.

If Small can secure him a relatively economical cart into the race then All Hart is still the horse to beat but over a mile any loss of momentum would end his chances.

Lord Vicolo has pleased trainer Barry Purdon with his work lately but follows out Bocelli, who still has a lot to learn so both will need luck.

The heat is not the only high-class race on the card.

Earlier, unbeaten four-year-old Mister D G clashes with smart pacers On The House, Cop The Sand and Mr Taylor Made.

Mister D G, a son of champion mare Blossom Lady, will be even better for his impressive fresh-up win here but faces the biggest challenge of his short career and if forced to work hard early could be vulnerable.