Merlin heading for the front in today's Free For All

By Michael Guerin

There is no hiding from the reason for Merlin’s defeat in the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup and he won’t be hiding in tonight’s Allied Security New Zealand Free-For-All at Addington either.

The form New Zealand pacer of the year only battled into fourth in the Cup won by Swayzee on Tuesday and while there is no shame in being beaten by the winner the fact Merlin was run down for third by Republican Party made his performance clearly below par for co-trainer Scott Phelan.

“He just didn’t finish the 3200m off as well as he would a shorter trip,” says Phelan.

“That is not to say he won’t win a 3200m race in the future and maybe an Auckland Cup may suit him better than a New Zealand Cup.

“But he wasn’t as good over 3200m and maybe he never will be. That's just being honest."

Phelan and training partner Barry Purdon can turn the page quickly as Merlin is back to the more suitable 1980m mobile of the NZ Pacing Free-For-All at today’s reinvigorated Show Day twilight meeting.

With two scratchings inside him he will start from barrier 5 and Phelan says he wants to see Merlin in front and feeling good to get his mojo back.
 
"He came through the Cup well and we know he has gate speed so I’d like to see him lead, which might make Republican Party the danger if he sits on our back.”

Crucial players in those that early burn could be the Australian pair Catch A Wave and perhaps to a lesser degree The Falcon, now trained by Jason Grimson.

Phelan and Purdon have had a sometimes frustrating southern campaign, including Duchess Megxit getting run down late in her Group 1 on Tuesday after copping pressure.

“Six months ago we were winning everything and now we aren’t but that is racing and we have some really good chances on Friday,” says Phelan.

They include Jeremiah in the new $500,000 pacing slot race Hill Lee and Scott The Velocity, in which the stable also have Better Knuckle Up.

“Jeremiah has some gate speed so he could go forward and even lead so he will be hard to beat.

“Better Knuckle Up could need some luck from two on the second line but if Chase A Dream gets a good run through and has any luck I think we all might struggle to beat him.”

Republican Party 'ready to rumble' in Free For All 

By Jonny Turner 

Cran Dalgety isn’t weighing in on pre-race chatter as Republican Party attempts to go two better than his outstanding third in the Group 1 IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup.

The Kentuckiana Lodge pacer has been handed the trump card in Friday’s Group 1 Allied Security New Zealand Free-For-All, coming into barrier 1 and drawing inside an incredible array of talent. He is the $3.50 second favourite behind Merlin ($2.35).

The challenge for New Zealand Free-For-All contenders for decades has remained the same, either come in fresh or, more vitally, back up after a gruelling two-mile challenge just three days prior.

Whether Republican Party is up for that challenge is clear – now.

“If you had asked me even later on Wednesday I would have scratched the head, to be honest,” Dalgety said. 

“He was tired and he knew he had had a testing trip, but I couldn’t imagine any of the field would have bounced out of their boxes in the morning.”

“We were confident he would recover well, being a colt and with the racing, he is generally nice and bright fairly quickly.”

“That was the case on Thursday morning, he tucked into his breakfast and was looking well.”

“We haven’t taught him to talk yet but I am picking he would have said let's get ready to rumble.”

The camps of superstar rivals Merlin and Catch A Wave have both declared their plan-A would be to find the front in the New Zealand Free-For-All.

Republican Party, with his brilliant gate speed and Carter Dalgety hold the key to those plans.

But the topic is not something the Kentuckiana camp is going to start making headlines with.

“I think with Catch A Wave and Merlin, they are the big names and naturally everyone wants to know what they might be going to do,” Dalgety said.

“They are outstanding animals and we have nothing but respect for them.”

“I guess just on the pure facts of the situation, Republican Party has shown quite brilliant gate speed and it is a 2000m dash so we won’t be wasting that weapon and we certainly won’t be going backwards.”

“The horse is coming off one of the best runs of his career and whatever Carter chooses to do, I am sure they will run well.”

Republican Party heads into the New Zealand Free-For-All after unleashing incredible sectional times in his New Zealand Cup third.

The pacer ran his last mile in 1.53.8, 2.9 seconds faster than the winner, Swayzee. 

Can Muscle Mountain challenge the champ?

By Michael Guerin

Punters can expect a refreshing change in the Livamol New Zealand Trotting Free-For-All today — a Kiwi horse actually taking it to one of the Aussies.

That doesn’t mean a change of result as Victorian champion Just Believe should still win the Group 1 but it might at least make for a more interesting spectacle.

Just Believe strode to the front effortlessly on his way to winning the $400,000 Dominion on Tuesday, hours before Swayzee did the same in the New Zealand Cup for the second year running. 

There were no drivers at fault in either, the Aussies had too much horsepower and that will likely be the case as Just Believe tries to remain unbeaten in New Zealand in today’s 1980m mobile.

But rival driver Ben Hope on Muscle Mountain at least wants to stretch the little Aussie superstar.

Muscle Mountain missed both the Dominion on Tuesday and the Flying Stakes at Ashburton after knocking a leg but has tangled with Just Believe before and come off second best.

On two of those occasions though he was able to beat him off the mobile gate at the start and Hope says that will be his plan today.

“I am confident I can get across him and if I do I want to stay in front,” says Hope.

“I don’t see any point handing up because then we can’t beat him and they will be pretty confident they can sit parked outside us and beat us because they have done it before.

“And that might be the case again because he could be an all-time great.”

Hope says his father Greg, who co-trains Muscle Mountain with wife Nina, took Muscle Mountain to Addington for a private workout last Saturday and loved what he felt.

“He has a real glint back in his eye and I feel like he is ready to go a big race.”