It's Friday night! What's on at Alexandra park and Addington?

It's Friday night with dual meetings at Auckland and Addington. Among the night's highlights will be the $35,000 Majestic Son at Alabar Northern Metro Series Trot Final at Alexandra Park and the $50,000 Woodlands Stud Sires' Stakes Harness 7000 at Addington.

Zachary Butcher one to watch at Alexandra Park

By Michael Guerin

Star driver Zachary Butcher’s spring is about to get a lot more serious but not all of that action is going to be with him in the sulky.

Butcher is a week away from resuming his race night association with Merlin, who returns in the Spring Cup next Friday as he starts a collision course with Leap To Fame in the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup in November.

But while he can’t wait to get back behind the horse he calls “a beast”, Butcher is also the man to follow at Alexandra Park tonight.

He brings the brightest light in his own small stable in Mantra Blue back to the races while he will partner a handful of winning chances for the powerful Purdon/Phelan stable headlined by Duchess Megxit in the Nevele R Fillies Series (Heat 3) Mobile Pace.

“Mantra Blue will be better for her fresh up third,” says Butcher, who will hand the reins on the smart mare to claiming junior driver Monika Ranger tonight in the The Storm Inside at Alabar Mobile Pace.

“She is in a handy field and this is by no means her grand final as she has some good mares races coming up with far higher stakes.

“She is ready to win if she gets the right run but I don’t think Monny will be taking off on her so she could be a bit dictated to by the way the race is run.”

Tactics and tempo probably won’t matter to Butcher and Duchess Megxit, who has real x-factor and only meets a small field as she starts down the path to the second half of the season loaded with major targets.

She was second in a small but select heat at the workouts last week but Butcher says it was just a pipe opener.

“She was very relaxed, almost lazy, but I also didn’t kick the earplugs out.

“I know once I do that she will fire up but she is ready to go.”

Duchess Megxit is the real deal, having the speed only the top fillies are blessed with and while she has the gate speed to lead a small field like tonight she looks even more scary when swooping.

“If she keeps going the way she is she could end up one of the best mares I have driven,” says Butcher.

Earlier in the night he will pilot Miki Doo for Purdon/Phelan in race two, the Captain Crunch at Alabar Mobile Pace, where stablemate Blackjack will be hard to beat after a huge fresh fourth in a better field.

Butcher finds himself in another stablemate’s clash in the Race 3, the Tactical Approach at Alabar NI Juvenile Champs Mobile trot, where he partners Meant To Be (R3, No.7) against Higher Power, who beat it last time they met on race night.

“They met at the workouts last week and I think we (Meant To Be) had Higher Power covered.

“They are both still leaning and only baby trotters but I think Meant To Be has a big motor but he still likes having a good look around.”

Butcher’s father David is the new trainer of the best horse in tonight’s $35,000 Majestic Son at Alabar Metro Trot Final, with Pantani having joined his stable as former trainer Ross Paynter has moved to Sweden, where his wife is from.

Pantani (R6, No.14) faces a 30m handicap in a capacity field but he has an open class trotter’s motor and may still be good enough to overcome those obstacles.

Unlocking the Harness 7000

Tonight's $50,000 Woodlands Stud Sires' Stakes Harness 7000 at Addington is the 10th edition of the Listed 3YO race.

For horses sired by stallions with a service fee of $7000 or less, the line-up is wide and varied, from MR48 to R58, though the history of the race shows that "standouts" have not always been successful.

There have been the headliners that won like Aardie's Express (pictured above) in 2022 and Nek Time in 2016. Aardie's Express went to win the Hannon Memorial this time last year while Nek Time scored in the Southland and Queensland Oaks just a few weeks after her victory in the then Harness 5000.

Previous New Zealand Cup contenders have also won including Corravally Star (now in Australia) in 2021 and the inaugural victor Brilliant Strike in 2015.

Last year's winner Coney Island Lou now resides and wins regularly in West Australia, while among those that ran behind him were 2024 NZ Cup hopeful Double Time (third) and Dalton Shard (sixth), who secured his place in the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup with victories in the Maurice Holmes Vase (and then the New Brighton Cup).

Other horses who didn't win but have gone on to better things include top Australasian Grand Circuit performer, Spirit Of St Louis (second) and Cranbourne (third).

Tonight, Trump card is a $2.80 favourite with Miki's Courage ($3.20) and I'm Rockin ($3.40) close behind.

But history says sometimes picking the winner of the race is straight forward and logical, but other times it's anything but.

The Woodlands Stud Sires' Stakes Harness 7000 will go at 7.15pm.

Cullen warming to draw for Trump card

By Michael Guerin

Hayden Cullen’s initial disappointment with Trump Card’s draw for the $50,000 Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes Harness 7000 at Addington tonight didn’t last long.

A quick piece of video research has the Canterbury trainer thinking one on the second line might work out perfectly for his three-year-old.

He won twice over the winter before being brought back and set for this race and potentially a busy back end to the season.

Trump Card looked ready for tonight when he won a sharp trial at Rangiora last week, beating Vessem, All You Need Is Me and We Walk By Faith, some serious three-year-old firepower.

Cullen admits when he first saw his second line starting position he was annoyed.

“But the more I have looked at it even though the horse we follow out (Revolution) is a maiden he isn’t a bad one.

“In his first start in a good field at Addington he left the mobile very fast so if he does that again and stays handy I think our horse can get a good run through.

“I am not saying he is the horse to follow but I think he will leave well enough for us to punch through and then have options.”

Cullen thinks Trump Card is a good stayer and would be suited by a hard run 1980m.

Two of the country’s most respected stables could dominate later races on the card tonight, with Mark and Nathan Purdon having Vessem (R7, No.4) and Mr Kaplan (R8, No.9) looking big chances while trotting supremo Paul Nairn has Confessional on the front line in Race 6 and both favourite Masterly and Tu Tangata in Race 9.