Dazzling times for NZ Cup contenders in Ashburton Flying Stakes

By Michael Guerin

Manners can take a horse a long way in modern day open class pacing.

Couple them with record sectionals and that same horse is going to become near unbeatable.

And that was the exact combination The Lazarus Effect used to down hot favourite Marketplace in the $60,000 NZB Airfreight Flying Stakes at Ashburton on Monday.

The Lazarus Effect stepped brilliantly in the 2400m feature and with trainer-driver Bob Butt having declared he wanted to stay in front his rivals let him dictate the speed.

Butt’s comments and confidence may have also sparked the race-changing moment when Craig Ferguson, partnering Marketplace, found himself parked after 300m but rather than attack for the lead pulled back to ultimately end up five places back on the marker.

He spent the next 1000m hoping for the opportunity to get on the back on Its Tough and get carted into the race but that never happened and with the leader having such an easy time in front the Group 2 turned into a drag race up the straight.

Marketplace flew at The Lazarus Effect late but the leader held on and the reason became obvious when the final sectionals of 52.8 seconds for the last 800m and 25.1 seconds for the final 400n were posted.

Ashburton can lend itself to some dazzling sectionals times and much of that 25.1 second last 400m came with a strong wind at their backs but that is a time rarely even thought about anywhere in world harness racing.

And with Marketplace coming from five lengths off The Lazarus Effect to push him so close be will have paced his last 400m somewhere between 24.2-24.6 seconds, not that far off how quick a decent thoroughbred will cover the same distance.

It was impressive stuff from the first two home but what does it all mean for the Go Media New Zealand Cup on November 10?

It means The Lazarus Effect is going to be a huge early player in the Cup and crucial to the tactics of the first lap and that he will be somewhere in the finish. 

As for Marketplace, who will improve on Monday’s run, and may have the raw speed to do something special if Aussie hero Leap To Fame is attacked or has an off day at Addington in a fortnight.

But pacing fast, even super fast, sectionals is one thing: pacing past a true champion like Leap To Fame is another thing all together.

On this day of dazzle at the speed capital of New Zealand harness racing Team Dalgety kept up their red hot form winning three of the age group races.

The family-run stable won both Sires’ Stakes heats for the juvenile pacers with Tour Party (boys) and Suva Baby (fillies) and then a Nevele R heat for the three-year-old fillies Cherish Me.

All three were driven by trainers Cran and Chrissie’s son Carter and Tour Party and Cherish Me had to be super tough while Suva Baby continued her improvement curve after the perfect trailing run to record her first win.

Tour Party looked to be under siege in the lead at the 200m but fought of Coal Fire, Patriot and Lucky Luka in a race where the trainers of the first four all would have gone home happy.

While he was favourite and is one of our best juveniles Tour Party needed that win to guarantee his spot in the NZ Cup day Sires’ Stakes Final which judging by Monday’s race is going to be a huge highlight of harness racing’s biggest day.

Cherish Me was even better as the daughter of former champion racemare Adore Me did the most work in the race sitting parked and held out her own stablemate All Of Me, trailer Ripples and Cath.

“She is getting better all the time, her racing manners are improving but she is just so tough,” said Carter Dalgety.

The win saw Cherish Me move to $2.40 for the Nevele R Final which is also on NZ Cup day and she has the advantage of being able to work in her races so wouldn’t be as disadvantaged as some of her rivals should she had to cop a second line draw in the Group 1.