It won’t be long before New Zealand’s best trotter Kyvalley Ray returns home to Australia.
If that sounds confusing, it’s because Kyvalley Ray is trained in Victoria by Brent Lilley and started his career here before embarking on a lengthy and stunningly successful New Zealand odyssey.
He left here an untapped bundle of potential in August last year and has since blossomed into a superstar, with seven starts in NZ netting five wins and a second and career earnings over $260,000.
“The talent was there from day one, but he was naughty as a colt, so we had him gelded and he hasn’t looked back,” Lilley said.
Kyvalley Ray is a raging hot favourite to snare his third Group 1 win in Friday night’s $NZ100,000 Northern Trotting Derby at Auckland’s Alexandra Park.
He’s coming off wins in the Group 1 3YO Sires final last week and the $NZ75,000 Harness Millions a week before that.
After Friday, Lilley confirmed Kyvalley Ray was headed back “home” for a spell and then to target the Group 1 Victoria Trotters’ Derby on November 1.
“He runs Friday and will be on a plane Sunday,” he said. “He’s been away a long time, but Jim (Connelly) paid good money ($NZ100,000) from the NZ sales and he wasn’t eligible for much in Australia, so we hatched the plane when we thought he was good enough for this long stint in NZ.
“It’s been amazing. We’ve had huge help from Hayden and Amanda Cullen, who have looked after him for us so incredibly well.
“I think he’s the first horse ever to have been bought from NZ, paid-up for their big races, and go back and win so many of them.
“Blair Orange is the top driver over there and he loves this horse.”
Kyvalley Ray is a $1.40 favourite from gate four to finish his NZ campaign in Group 1 style on Friday night.
“He’s not 100 per cent comfortable racing around the bends the opposite direction in Auckland, but he makes up for it in the straights,” Lilley said.
“He’s right up with the best young trotters I’ve had, he’s so strong. I’m sure getting out to the (long) 2700m trip will suit him, too.
“It would be great if he could come back home and win a big race here (Australia), too, but he’ll be back to NZ before the year is out.
“He’s got the big (three-year-old) trotting slot race, if that goes ahead, about 10 days after the Victoria Derby and then the NZ (Trotters’) Derby after that.”
Lilley, a former Kiwi who made Victoria home in 2010, has won an Inter Dominion with Game Bid, trained millionaire trotting Keystone Del and numerous other stars.
His focus will switch from Auckland Friday night to Melton on Saturday with two runners – Kyvalley Michael (gate two) and Kyvalley Jetstream (eight) – in the fifth event.
“I’d lean to Kyvalley Michael as our best chance from the draw,:” he said. “He’s been racing well with no luck.
“Kyvalley Jetstream has had a terrific campaign, but ran below his best last time and he’s going out for a spell after this week.”
PHOTO: HRNZ/Race Images NZ
