Best behaviour the goal for Balle trotters today

By Jordyn Bublitz 

Neita Balle is hoping for a turnaround on day two at Palmerston North today, with the young trainer preparing a pair of chances alongside father Derek in the Herb Stent Memorial Handicap Trot (6.37pm).

The stable lines up Westar Milly and Son Of Patrick in the 2500m standing start, both off the front line. Westar Milly has drawn the ace, while her stablemate will step from the unruly position to her outside.

It was a frustrating opening day for the team on Tuesday, with both runners making early errors. Westar Milly, however, showed plenty of grit to recover into fourth for Brooke Wilkins, who sticks with the mare.

“Her gallop at the start wasn’t her fault or Brooke’s. At the 2000m stand start there’s a corrugated iron fence on the inside and when they let the tapes go it makes a hell of a noise,” Balle said.

“It gave her a fright. It was just a bad case of circumstance. Hopefully she can get past the noise this time, we might just plug her ears up a bit more.

“Her recovery from that run was really good, and Brooke seems to get along with her, so I’m quite confident about her chances tonight.”

Stablemate Son Of Patrick had no such luck, failing to make an impression after his early break. Derek handled the reins on day one, but the drive has been handed to Andre Poutama for today’s assignment.

“He’s my best friend and my worst enemy at the moment!” Balle laughed.

“I love that horse but he’s giving dad headaches, he’s giving me headaches, he’s giving everyone who drives him a headache!

“He’s got no admirers at the moment, but if he could just put it all together he’s capable of giving this field a good shake. He seems to have got something in his head about stepping away.

“I thought if anyone could get him away it would be Dad, but even he couldn’t do it, so he’s thrown his hands up and we’ve opted for Andre this time.”

Despite the mixed fortunes, Balle remains realistic heading into the feature trot, leaning toward reliability over raw ability.

“At this point my pick of the two would have to be Westar Milly because she’s more reliable, but if I was confident Son Of Patrick would step, I’d put him on top.

“Realistically he could put that field to sleep any day of the week if he was on his best behaviour.”

Away from the track, Balle is juggling life as a new mother, recently welcoming son Navy with partner and fellow trainer Zev Meredith.

For now, her role in the stable has shifted slightly, with Derek taking the reins at home.

“I’m mainly home with Bub at the moment; I try to get down to the barn a couple of times a week.

“I think dad wishes I was at the barn more often, so I’d stop agonising him for updates on the phone,” she laughed.

“I’m just keeping things low key for a while, dad’s definitely our main man at the moment, I’m just hanging out in the background annoying him and telling him what he’s doing wrong!”

Even at just a few weeks old, Navy is already part of the racing routine, tagging along to the barn and race meetings as Balle balances both roles.

With a strong support system around her and a capable hand in Derek steering the team, Balle is content taking things in her stride for now, but if her pair can step cleanly, she might still find herself right in the thick of the action at Palmerston North.