Latest news with #BesideMe
NZ Herald
08-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Horse racing: Shortest way home the key to Group 1 glory at The Park
5: Hillbilly (R9, No 8): Sat parked in Northern Derby last start and before that had two big seconds off handicaps. Value each way option. If Alexandra Park races true to recent form for tonight's $200,000 Magness Benrow Sires' Stakes, there may be fewer winning chances in the Group 1 field than it appears as first glance. Because while the race is the strongest of the 3-year-old pacing fillies season so far, the girls covering the least ground should hold a huge advantage. Tonight's meeting caps a golden six weeks for northern harness racing but the most obvious trend has been the biggest race winners almost always coming from on the marker pegs. It was the case in all five Group 1 races here two weeks ago and two of the three held at Alexandra Park last week. It was also the case when Arcee Phoenix won the $600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge last month, with the most jarring exception to the marker-pegs domination being Leap To Fame in the $1 million Race by Betcha, but is an exception to a lot of rules. The reasons for the popular pegs are well known: the times being recorded these days are so fast, horses coming wide often face having to break national records just to keep up. That trend looks set to continue in tonight's 2200m mobile Sires' Stakes and if it does, it gives an enormous advantage to Beside Me (Race 8, No 3) and most likely General Jen (No 2). Beside Me looks the likely leader and driver Carter Dalgety says if he gets there, he won't be handing the lead away. 'She got a little too excited for her own good in the Oaks last start but that was 2700m, whereas being 2200m this week, I can let her roll more,' says Dalgety. Beside Me was beaten in that Oaks by Arafura, who is in tonight's race but faces a second-line draw so it could be her stablemate General Jen who emerges as the main danger to the favourite. General Jen was allowed to miss the earlier northern 3-year-old features by co-trainer Hayden Cullen and she looked a fresh and happy horse when she bolted away with her Alexandra Park debut against older pacers last Friday. If she can use her gate speed to cross to the markers and trail Beside Me, she could try the same sit-and-snipe tactics Arafura did two weeks ago. 'I have no doubts Arafura is the best of our fillies but she may not be the best chance this week,' says Cullen. 'I can see General Jen getting the better run, hopefully on the back of Beside Me, and she really impressed me how she won up here last Friday. 'Arafura is tougher but if she has to race in the running line, it becomes a lot harder for her.' One horse who could be on the markers but not the best version of them is Southland filly Captains Mistress. She looks the real deal but faces being three or even four deep on the markers and if so, could need an intense war up front to open gaps for her to chase down tired legs later. Her trainer-driver Nathan Williamson also brings his one-start, one-win juvenile trotter Duchess Maria (R4, No 2) north for the $50,000 IRT Young Gun Final in which she will have to handle the right-handed track to down Redpark Warrior. Tonight's other major trot, the $120,000 IRT Trotters Championship, should probably see Meant To Be continued on his winning march but the reduction in distance from 2700m last start to 2200m mobile tonight gives him less time to overcome his unruly start point.
NZ Herald
24-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Carter Dalgety aims for Group 1 wins at Alexandra Park races
But while the son of trainers Cran and Chrissie Dalgety usually takes the road less travelled, tonight he will be happy to be taking the shortest way home. Dalgety will drive exceptional pacing filly Beside Me in the $100,000 Pascoes Oaks, and Republican Party in the $100,000 Dawson Harford Messenger, and the plan with both is simple: be on the markers. That looks certain with Republican Party (barrier one), who finally gets a good draw in the 2700m mobile and has options to lead - but more likely trail - either Rakero Rocket or Chase A Dream. 'It is so good to get a good draw with him because he has been going great [in] races but covering so much ground,' says Dalgety. 'In these big staying races, being on the markers is so crucial and he is going well enough to win. 'He might have had a busy summer and autumn, but he is so relaxed and cruisy in training he takes nothing out of himself, and I think that really helps.' Trailing Rakero Rocket, who in turn could make favourite Chase A Dream work, would be the ideal scenario for Republican Party. But if Chase A Dream can work to the lead and put him three back on the markers, his task becomes far more difficult - but not impossible. It probably matters a lot less what happens to Beside Me in the Oaks as she looks to be a wonderful staying filly who is perfectly suited for the step up to 2700m tonight. She showed good gate speed for catch driver Tony Herlihy last Saturday, and our most successful reinsman ever says the filly is the real deal. 'It is cool hearing Tony talk about her like that, and I'd like to go forward and lead on her,' says Dalgety. 'I don't think she has to lead to win, but being on the markers would be way better.' While Arafura is a smart front-runner having drawn the ace, she does have Without You on her back, so if she leads and gets attacked early, she would be better relenting than leading with enemies all around. Stella Rouge has looked a very, very good filly, and in any normal Oaks would be the favourite, but drawn outside Beside Me and the other favourites, she is going to need to do something special to win. Dalgety is looking at another ground-saving run with The Queens Gambit (R3, No.1) in the 2-year-old fillies races tonight but says with the Delightful Lady Final next week, he might prefer to trail Australian visitor Ripples as she heads forward at the start. Ripples was a brilliant winner of the Bathurst Gold Tiara in a 1:53.9 mile rate last start and will be the first New Zealand start for Victorian training superstar Emma Stewart. If she leads, only a failure to handle the right-handed Alexandra Park would seem a danger to her. What they said about the group 1s R5, Pascoes Northern Oaks: 'She is a really good filly, she doesn't feel like she is going fast when she is,' last Saturday's catch driver Tony Herlihy on Beside Me. R6, Breckons Trotting Derby: 'Our filly went great last week but Meant To Be has to be the one to beat on his last start win,' John Dunn on Ya Rite Darl. R7, Woodlands Northern Derby: 'He will be back to his Harness Million [winning] fitness levels this week,' Marketplace's trainer Regan Todd. R8, Fiskens Anzac Cup: 'They will run so hard how all those good horses step and where they end up will be crucial,' Oscar Bonavena's trainer Mark Purdon. R9, Dawson Harford Messenger: 'I'd love it if we could trail Rakero Rocket and he stayed in front,' Carter Dalgety on Republican Party. Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald's Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world's biggest horse racing carnivals.
