A New Zealand race designed to showcase the lesser lights of harness racing may help further illuminate one of its new stars at Addington tonight.
The $40,000 Harness 7000 is a great concept, the race restricted to the stock of stallions who stood at $7000 or less at conception, meaning it isn’t open to those by all-time stallion great Bettors Delight or others close to him in the market.
The stock of Always B Miki wouldn’t make the cut at his current service fee either but they do for the crop that includes Aardies Express, who is how the exciting filly makes it into tonight’s 1980m mobile, albeit from the widest draw.
She thrashed glamour filly True Fantasy last Friday in the style of a potential star and co-trainer Steve Telfer admits tonight’s race could hardly suit better.
“It is a great race for a filly as good as her under the unique conditions and she is tough enough to keep going forward and make the most of it,” says Telfer.
The premiership-leading trainer and his two-island operation also have Allamericanlover returning in race six tonight and he says he isn’t as concerned as he would usually be about her 30m handicap fresh up.
“She is a very fast beginner from a stand so I am hoping she can make plenty of that up early and she is a good mare who is only getting better,” says Telfer.
Telfer is also helping manners aid Alta Wiseguy when the impressive last-start winner clashes with Akuta and Krug in the harness race of the weekend, the Hannon Memorial at Oamaru on Sunday.
Alta Wiseguy was brilliant at Addington last Friday and if he can clear the comeback horses early in Sunday’s 2600m stand he has options to stay in front or hand up and trail one of the favourites, hoping his superior fitness helps him swoop home late.
“He is a horse in a good space at the moment but he will need to be as it is a good field.”