Friday Night Lights – two-year olds to the fore

[Wandering Eyes]

It’s Friday night with action again at Alexandra Park and Addington.

Up north the Telfers have a huge team of two-year-old fillies in race 5, the Dunstan Horsefeeds Sires’ Stakes Heat, while at Addington there’ll be a lot of interest in the return of another gun two-year-old in Ukraine.

Telfers line up six in Sires’ Stakes heat

By Michael Guerin

It is bring-your-own-sulky-night at Alexandra Park tonight.

Not for everybody mind you, just some of the driver’s partnering the Team Telfer horses in Race 5, the Dunstan Horsefeeds Sires’ Stakes Heat 1 2YO Fillies Mobile Pace, on tonight’s card when the leading northern stable has six starters in the same race.

It is not the first time the brother and sister training team of Steve and Amanda Telfer have had six starters in a race before and they originally had eight entered, but had to scratch two with minor issues.

Had all eight started it would have equalled the modern day New Zealand harness record held by the All Stars who had all eight starters in a race at Addington on August 7, 2020.

But six juvenile fillies in a Sires’ Stakes heat is still a show of strength that comes with some obvious logistical challenges.

“We only have four race sulkies so I will have to have to borrow two,” laughs Steve Telfer.

“A couple of our outside drivers will be bringing their sulkies to the races for horses they train so they can use them but it is going to make for a pretty busy time before the race getting them all geared up and everything in place.”

Telfer says the assault is a genuine one as all the juveniles fillies have earned the right to be in the Sires’ Stakes heat.

It is also just reward for the huge outlay for Stonewall Stud founder Steve Stockman, who has purchased the best bloodlines available at the sales and bred others in tonight’s race.

“They are all fillies who are going to make it but obviously there are levels of experience and ability at this stage,” says Telfer.

The most dazzling of them so far is Always B Misty, who overcame an early gallop last start to win in stunning style and with the scratchings moves into two on the second line.

“She keeps getting better and her chances have improved now with our other two coming out and bringing her in closer to the markers.

“We have Music Mistress up from the South Island and she has also looked very good but she might be dictated to by what I’m Sandra Dee, who she follows out, does at the start.

“She has been working really well and if she trails she can win but I am not sure she will get that type of run.”

Always B Magic is the next ranked of the Telfer troops but is still learning and races in a fixed hood to keep her calm, with Telfer suggesting when she changes to a removable hood that will be a good pointer for punters.

Big numbers are nothing new to the stable as they trained a career-best five winners at Alexandra Park last Friday night and have multiple winning chances tonight.

J T Boe (Race 2) has a wide draw to overcome but can still win while Captains Secret is a smart maiden in Race 3 but meets some handy types headed by The Jolly Roger.

Telfer rates Secrets Abound (No.9) the better of their two hopes in a strong Race 4 while Twista and Akatea both contest the main pace.

“Our two are going well but it is a very good field and horses like Always A Porsche and Better Knuckle Up will be hard to beat, with Akatea likely to be better for the run.”

Always A Porsche faces a tough assignment from his outside of the front line draw from the tricky 1609m start but he looks to have an open class motor so can win if the tempo sets up nicely for him.

Ukraine to return at Addington

By Michael Guerin

Bob Butt says luck will matter as much as horse power for his two most high-profile drives at Addington tonight.

Butt has his stable’s sharp two-year-old Ukraine returning in an interesting Race 6 (Airpark Canterbury Mobile Pace) tonight while he will partner Double Time for the Dunns in the main handicap pace (Addington Cup Week On Sale Now! Handicap Pace) as they look to go continue their early season open class dominance.

Double Time was a close up fourth to stablemate Dalton Shard in the Maurice Holmes Vase last Friday and with the three who beat him home there not returning for tonight’s race he is a logical pick.

“He was good last week and has to be a chance because this field looks a bit easier,” says Butt.

“But he is a horse who probably still has to be driven right in this grade at this stage so I will want to get a trip where he doesn’t have to work too hard.”

If he can do that Double Time looks ideally placed in the 2600m standing start that lacks a lot of relevant recent winning form.

Butt is pleased with Ukraine ahead of his return but warns with it being the first run of a new campaign he may not be looking to do anything too heroic.

“These two-year-olds have a long second half of the season ahead of them if they make all the good races,” says Butt.

“So for a horse like him fresh up this week from a bad barrier I don’t think we will rush him off the gate.

“So he will likely be driven conservatively and while I’d love to win the way the race might pan out he could be running on well but still only finished third or fourth.”

Butt has two from his team in Race 2, the Garry Thompson Mobile Pace, and says there is little between Brando and Bronson.

“They can both get some money but I think Double Jeopardy is the one to beat. He was unlucky last week so he might be too good for us this week.”

Meanwhile, Butt is pleased with how the stable’s new open class star Old Town Road is progressing after coming south for the beach training environment because of hoof issues.

“He seems really well and is obviously a very good horse,” he explains.

“He is sound and happy at the moment but we will know more when we start to put him under more pressure.

“He is a few weeks away from the trials and I’d say he will only have two or three starts before the New Zealand Cup as he is a horse who races well fresh.

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