Meant To Be makes big statement at Alexandra Park

By Michael Guerin

The future of New Zealand open class trotting may have arrived a little sooner than expected at Alexandra Park on Friday night.

Because Meant To Be showed he is now one of the big boys winning the Lone Star Lyell Creek Stakes just a few months after turning four, with two of the other “younger brigade” in Ya Rite Darl and Hillbilly Blues suggesting after years of waiting the baton is ready to be passed to the next generation.

We have been waiting for that moment for the last couple of seasons as Muscle Mountain and Oscar Bonavena have been left to defend New Zealand’s battered trotting pride against first Just Believe, then Arcee Phoenix and more lately Gus.

To make matters worse Keayang Zahara is on her way back for the Trot Slot race at Cambridge on April 10 and while there have been flashes of class from Bet N Win in the last 12 months, on the whole it has been left to the two old boys to fly our flag.

But Friday night suggested the scales are now tipping in favour of the younger brigade, although Oscar was still enormous finishing second after an early gallop.

But it was Meant To Be who came from off the speed to down him, a luckless Ya Rite Darl and Hillbilly Blues, who was left parked throughout and only grabbed late to finish fourth.

That means two four-year-olds and a well-established five-year-old filled three of the four first placings and in Meant To Be’s case you know he is only going to get better.

He is almost the complete package now after sometimes being a little too racy for his own good as a superior two-year-old he has developed into a stronger but more settled trotter with gate speed, stamina and will to win.

“He really showed that tonight and in all three of his open class runs,” said driver Zachary Butcher.

“Barry and Scotty and their team have done a great job with him and I am the lucky one who just gets to jump behind him for a few minutes on race night.”

With at least one spare slot looking open in the Slot Trot you could make a case for either Meant To Be or Hillbilly Blues to be in the race but their connections may also be reluctant to take on the Australians, especially with Keayang Zahara and Jilliby Ballerini to get two of the inside draws being mares.

Meant To Be’s stablemate Higher Power will also work his way to open class and be a feature there after he trotted a very quick 2:45.4 when overcoming a 20m handicap to win a lower grade trot earlier in the night.

Butcher added a training and driving success in the listed Magness Benrow Sires’ Stakes Northern Mares Classic when Princess Gracy overcame a topsy turvy run to ultimately grab a passing lane win.

She paced 2:39.1 in a survival of the fittest race on a night where Butcher described the track as harder than usual to get through.

As it turns out, it was harder for Butcher’s rivals than it was for him.