Classy line-up for NZ Trotting Oaks

By Michael Guerin

It is a young trotters' take over at Addington on Friday night as some of our best age group square-gaiters dominate the meeting to open Go Media New Zealand Trotting Cup week.

And there is no doubt what the highlight will be with the $125,000 Yabby Dam Farms NZ Trotting Oaks one of the strongest editions ever of the Group 1.

The best trotting fillies of a deep crop will all be there with Our Col from the north drawing barrier 2, Duchess Maria from the deep south drawn wide at 7 and Hambletonian heroine Becky’s Girl at barrier 3.

The talented Imperious Girl will start on the unruly after being so slow off the mobile at Ashburton last week while Raffie Jay flies in from Queensland for trainer Chantal Turpin.

To have a Trotting Oaks with reps from so many different regions is a rarity, to have one of this depth is almost unheard of as five or six of the small field look to have open class potential.

It is just one of the trotting highlights as the boys have their NZ Trotting Derby Prelude including I’m Connected, who was third in last week’s Hambletonian, against Kawatiri Trev who finished just behind him there, the highly-rated Redback Bob and Sunday’s Kaikoura winner Southerly.

The juvenile trotters prep for their IRT Sires’ Stakes Final with a good old North versus South battle in their prelude, Duke of Bourbon again likely to have to come from behind local favourite Eyes Wide Open (barrier 2) with last week’s impressive Ashburton winner Mr Mercedes at barrier 1, Master McGoogan at barrier 4 and La Venture barrier 5 in a small but stacked race.

While the trotters will be the stars of the show our most exciting young pacer Jumal meets just five rivals in the NZ Pacing Derby Prelude where under the conditions of the race he had to draw barrier 6, outside Freeze Frame (3), Nazare (4) and Franco Lomu (5).

To see Addington's fields for Friday click here