Republican Party goes back to back in the Invercargill Cup

By Jonny Turner 

This time, he had to earn it.

Republican Party called on his star qualities to clinch his second win in the Group 1 Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup amid a thrilling battle. 

And it came in completely different circumstances to the first.

Last year it was the brilliant Cran and Chrissie Dalgety trained pacer who dominated his rivals, barely giving them a look-in when leading throughout for Carter Dalgety.

A brilliant beginning and a masterful Bob Butt drive behind key rival The Lazarus Effect meant it was Republican Party that was doing the chasing this year.

On the point of the home turn the fature effectively boiled down to a battle between Butt’s brilliant tactics and Republican Party’s star qualities.

And it was the latter that claimed an elite level victory.

“We knew the race was never going to be handed to him from the 20m back mark,” Carter Dalgety said.

“Bob drove the perfect race and his horse is a very good horse.”

“But my fella dug in, he had to earn it and he knuckled down and did just that.”

“I couldn’t be prouder of him.”

While Butt brilliantly controlled the Invercargill Cup pace, Dalgety produced a pinpoint steer of his own.

Unable to move on a strong early pace, the junior driver waited until the 1200m to put Republican Party up on the speed.

As the two favourites were about to go head-to-head, Dalgety gave the favourite cover on The Lazarus Effect’s back just before the home turn.

It was a manoeuvre Cran Dalgety saw as crucial during the pressure of Group 1 racing. 

With the Invercargill Cup of 2025 in the bag, the Dalgety camp will now aim for a double-double by adding to their win in last year’s Auckland Cup.

“He loves this time of year, he is a horse in the zone and it makes sense to get him to Auckland.”

“We had a few options, we could sit back at home and pamper him but he is very hardened to this open class racing and we think he can take it in his stride like he usually does.”

The team of Cran, Chrissie and Carter Dalgety were in nearly perfect form on the Invercargill Cup undercard.

They brought three other horses south, winning with Treacherous Dreams and Eun Sogno and running second with The Queens Gambit.

Earlier on the Ascot Park card, Mr Love outmuscled his rivals when leading home a Greg and Ben Hope trained trifecta in the Group 3 Brendan Franks Farrier David Moss Stakes.

The six-year-old was the form stayer of the race with his recent second in the Group 1 Dominion.

But he and driver Blair Orange did have a million dollar earner on his back, after he dragged Muscle Mountain into the race inside the final lap.

“It just shows how this guy has developed, he has got a few years on Muscle Mountain, he is just a lovely horse,” Orange said. 

Muscle Mountain took second ahead of the late-closing Midnight Dash.