Derby wins don’t come much more popular in the New Zealand harness racing industry than Cold Chisel’s triumph at Alexandra Park last night.
The second favourite made the most of a perfect Zachary Butcher drive to grab a brave Christopher Dance up the passing lane in the last 50m in the $200,000 Woodlands Stud-sponsored classic, giving trainers Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan back to back wins in the race after Merlin last season.
Both Merlin and Cold Chisel are owned by Dean Shannon, who has always been a popular figure in Australasian harness racing but is now seen as the saviour of New Zealand racing because he is also the head of Entain Australia.
While Entain were always going to sharpen up a depleted NZ TAB, Shannon is a true racing man who wants the best for the codes and that attitude has percolated through the company and into the New Zealand racing scene.
Now the man who was unknown to most New Zealand racing administrators or industry participants 12 months is the one everybody wants to speak with so you can imagine his horses winning races puts smiles on plenty of faces.
For the always unassuming Shannon the thrill of winning good races with the trainers he has so much success with is the other side of the coin, one he has loved since well before he got into running a huge bookmaker and, almost by de facto, the New Zealand industry.
“It never gets old,” smiled Shannon after the Derby.
Considering he owns two Derby winners and a handful of classy juveniles including last night’s impressive debut juvenile winner Youretheonethatiwant, Shannon always seems pleasantly surprised by his success, like a first time owner happy just to be involved.
Cold Chisel is following in the footsetps of Merlin but may lack is top-end briliance. But he is still going to be a serious horse in any race he contests this season as he has manners, speed and stamina and the trainers and driver to best extract those gifts.
A three-year-old who might go even further than Cold Chisel is last night’s Pascoes Oaks winner All You Need Is Me, who never looked in danger of defeat.
The $1.25 favourite led almost every step of her 2700m classic to give young driver Carter Dalgety his second Group 1 win and his 100th domestic success.
“She actually got a little fired up crossing to the lead early so when a couple of others mad a move she would over-race again,” said Dalgety.
“That probably took enough out of her that she didn’t run away from them as some people might have thought she would.”
Still, pacing a 1:58.5 mile rate and her last 800m in 55.7 seconds, there was little more All You Need Is Me could do as she followed dam Adore Me and granddam Scuse Me onto the Oaks honour list.
All You Need Is Me and the other fillies now have a slightly tricky gap between last night and the $14,0,000 Sires’ Stakes Final back at Alexandra Park on May 17.
“Hopefully if she is aimed at that she can have a small break before the heats,” says Dalgety.
While both Cold Chisel and All You Need Is Me both had the marker pegs to guide them to victory the other group race winner last night in Don’t Stop Dreaming did not.
The fact he was able to sit parked for the majority of the City Of Auckland Pace ans still easily down stablemate Self Assured suggests those who finished behind him last night will have a hell of a job to turn the tables on him in the $1million Race by Grins on April 12.
He is now the $2.20 favourite for the glamour slot race at Cambridge, with Merlin second favourite and then the Aussies led by Speak The Truth.
His was the performance of the night on a card that also saw All Cashed Up winning the main trot in national-record style off a 20m handcap and Jolimont break 2:39 for 2200m when winning his third on end.
And there was a special moment when Cyclone Jordy won the male juvenile pace on debut for trainer Tate Hopkins, who now trains in the famous colours of Frank Cooney, who has had so many good young horses win at Alexandra Park over the decades before a retirement forced by poor health.
