Dalgetys cautious about chances at Alexandra Park tonight

[Wandering Eyes]

By Michael Guerin

Cran Dalgety has his stable big guns in Auckland this week but he isn’t predicting them to be firing as the Northern Lights Autumn Carnival gets underway at Alexandra Park tonight.

And that could act as a warning for punters eyeing plenty of other big-name horses at this meeting which is somewhat of a dress rehearsal for the weeks ahead.

Dalgety and wife Chrissie train one of the most powerful teams in New Zealand harness racing, including Horse of the Year Republican Party, who is in Auckland and will race again next Friday before counting down to the $1 million Race at Cambridge on April 10.

“We were going to bring him home [Canterbury] after he raced in Victoria  but he is better staying up there and we are looking forward to what is going to be a big few months up there,” says Dalgety.

Republican Party has plenty of already proven or exciting stablemates to keep him company during his northern trip but Dalgety warns punters to be a little careful with them tonight.

“It is a funny old night as he have some really good horses in Friday but they are in hard races for one reason or another,” he explains.

“Like our filly All Of Me [Race 1]. She is a really good filly but has only had one trial to get ready for this and has a wide draw against some fit horses.

“Ideally we would have loved to have given her two trials so she isn’t ready to be driven aggressively, especially with some big races coming up.

“So not through any lack of belief in her talent, but I think she will be a better bet over the next few weeks.”

The same applies to stablemates Freeze Frame (R4, No.1) and Eun Sogno (No.2) in tonight’s open sprint in which they will take on established open class pacers like Better Knuckle Up and Jolimont and last season’s Queensland Derby winner Rubira.

“This was the only race available for them and they need to start to ready for the big three-year-old races the next two weeks,” explains Dalgety.

“They have the best draws but this is their first time in anything near this grade and I don’t think they will be getting into a war with the older horses.”

That leaves the race open to being dominated by whoever out of Better Knuckle Up, Rubira or even the Arna Donnelly-trained pair of Little Spike or Jolimont can get to the front.

You could make a case Better Knuckle Up deserves to be favourite but punters should expect Rubira to be more forward and ready to be driven aggressively tonight, especially with blinds going back on, which tends to see him more willing early.

The Dalgetys bring Republican Party’s little brother Tour Party (R6, No.1) to Alexandra Park tonight off the back of an effortless win at Addington last start, albeit in only a three-horse race.

He has clearly inherited much of the family ability and Dalgety hopes drawing barrier 1 tonight will help him navigate Alexandra Park smoothly, not always a given for a southerner going right-handed for the first time. 

“He is a good horse but we have an interesting problem because Coal Fire looks pretty good and he follows us through at the start and if he sits on out back I reckon he might beat us,” says Dalgety.

TAB bookies disagree, opening Tour Party the favourite just over Coal Fire, with the former probably dictating the chances of the latter. 

Earlier in the night wonderful old trotter Oscar Bonavena will attempt something few horses have ever pulled off at Alexandra Park, winning from a 55m handicap over 2200m.

It is not impossible and the small field helps but a front line horse in Voronov trotted 2:50 for this distance two starts ago and if he repeats that Oscar Bonavena will need to break 2:46 to win fresh up and coming wide.

It will be interesting to see if the 2026 version of Oscar is up for that level of challenge.

 

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