Krug's audition for the $1m Race by Grins

31 March 2023 , Punters Info

By Michael Guerin

Trainer Cran Dalgety knows tonight’s feature pace at Addington is more than a race for Krug, it could also be an audition.

And the Canterbury trainer says his stable star is ready to nail the part.

Krug will start favourite even from the outside of the gate in the Fahey Fence Hire Mobile, the Group 3 over 1980m, in his first start back since a luckless Menangle campaign.

Dalgety realises winning tonight could get Krug the last slot into the $1million Race by Grins at Cambridge in two weeks (April 14).

With Kango securing the second last slot on Wednesday there was one slot available at time of writing and Krug would seem to be the favourite for that, maybe with a proven open class northerner like Alta Wiseguy the other most likely in contention.

Dalgety says he wants in The Race and Krug is ready to show he deserves that tonight.

“We would love to be there for sure and he is going well enough to be a chance in it,” says Dalgety.

“Forget his Menangle form, he had no luck from wide barrier draws but he has come back really well.

“He has spent some time on the water walker and is working well and ready to go a big race because we know he has to be.

“It sounds like unless a horse pulls out we are chasing that last spot and we realise we will need to win this week to try and convince somebody to take us.”

Krug finds himself in the right race to do that as he is 22 points higher than his closest rating rival, the in-form Corravally Star.

The latter has been flying and has gate speed but it could be a tough race to go forward with hard runners like The Falcon and Beach Ball drawn well while the Purdon pair of Bollinger and Lumen Caeli may be racing out of their grade but both look eventually headed for open class so shouldn’t be blown away.

The race also features the return of one of the spring stars in Heza Sport, who has taken on the New Zealand Cup and Summer Cup in his last two starts, the last back in December and while he has had two trials he should be better for the run.