Our Col looks to bounce back in Trotting Oaks

By Michael Guerin

Tony Herlihy is confident punters who take the red hot odds on offer for Our Col tonight will get to see the best of the exciting trotting filly.

The big girl is $1.50 to win the Woodlands Stud Northern Trotting Oaks at Alexandra Park (6.25pm) even after she was allowed to miss the Trotting Derby two weeks ago because of a poor blood report.

Our Col had been the favourite for that and every other major three-year-old trotting feature after a stunning Cambridge win on April 10 that saw her shatter the national 2200m mobile record, easily beating her key rival tonight in Petite Amour.

But Our Col raced bravely but flat when third and then second to Kyvalley Ray in her next two starts and trainer-driver Herlihy had her blood reports sent to an expert and the advice was to let her miss the Derby two weeks ago.

“But the bloods we did after that came back much better and the advice was if she felt back to normal in her work we don’t need to do another one,” says Herlihy.

“She has felt good for the last week so I think she will race well on Friday.”

Herlihy says tonight will be Our Col’s last race for this campaign so the big girl can have a break and mature into her frame, with the potential she could develop into an open class trotter.

Petite Amour is clearly her main, and maybe only real, danger tonight as she has been consistent without looking likely to beat Kyvalley Ray or Our Col in their recent clashes.

Still, if she trots to the lead as looks likely tonight and there are still any physical frailties bothering Our Col then the gap closes.

The female trotters also take centre stage in one of tonight’s other main races, the $40,000 Primor Produce North Island Mares Championship (7.22pm).

The two best trotters in the race are clearly Walkinonsunshine and Ya Rite Darl and while being off a 20m handicap over 2200m at The Park is often the punting kiss of  death, they are open class mares racing those who are not.

The pair were fourth (Ya Rite Darl) and fifth (Walkinonsunshine) in the Rowe Cup two weeks ago and the fact they are back on the 20m mark together will almost certainly aid the one who gets carted into the race by the other.

On raw ability Ya Rite Darl is probably better and with more upside so she looks more likely to come out on top tonight but with very little between them.

The pacing mares get their turn in the Powell Transport North Island Breeders Stakes (7.58pm) where manners and field position will be crucial but Tytate is a good winning chance in what will be her first standing start.

She did trial from a stand at Pukekohe recently and stepped smoothly before being pulled up but race night brings far more challenges.