The Next Gen stars on big night at Alexandra Park

By Michael Guerin

The future arrived at Alexandra Park on Friday night.

Whether it was the younger equine stars of both pacing and trotting maybe being permanently handed the batons of our horses to beat in the big races, or the young gun drivers who owned a premier meeting it felt like the turning of a page.

It was most evident in the Fiskens Anzac Cup where Higher Power, just a four-year-old beat two of our veterans Midnight Dash and Oscar Bonavena.

But the more memorable part of the race was young Harry Orange winning his first Group 1 and beating his father Blair, the pair fist-pumping after the line in what will undoubtedly be one of the moments of the season.

Our open class trotting ranks have needed a refresh for a couple of seasons and with Higher Power winning this Group 1, his stablemate Meant To Be winning a Group 2 three starts ago and being first Kiwi home in the TAB Trot, maybe the oldies have had their day.

They might bounce back in the suitable 3200m of the Rowe Cup but by the back end of 2026 the two Purdon/Phelan four-year-olds and five-year-old Hillbilly Blues, who was well below his best on Friday, are going to be too fast and fresh for the more established stars. 

To add to the young domination of the night that was Orange’s second win after earlier winning the Metro Pacing Final with Muchacho trained by Zev Meredith, with Harry’s close mate Jacob Dunn winning the Metro Trot Final on Bravehearthighlander and completing his own double with The Jolly Rodger.

But it was in the $100,000 Dawson Harford Taylor Mile that hammered home the charge of the young brigade.

While The Lazarus Effect is a five-year-old he is still very much an open class newbie but he was simply too fast with trainer-driver Bob Butt, who got his early tactics spot on,

“He is the best horse I have had,” says Butt.

“It is exciting having a horse like him in the best races although I did have a few moments tonight as he took his hook when Cam Hart got up outside us on Swayzee and started yelling and driving his horse up.

“He will go around in next two Fridays here in the Roy Purdon and the Messenger and then we can look forward to the back end of the season.”

As good as The Lazarus Effect was in winning, four-year-old Got The Chocolates was just as impressive charging into second, not long after his arch rival Marketplace returned with a stunning win at Addington.

“It is great to see these horses coming through, we need them because it has been hard to watch the Aussies win everything the last few years,” said Butt.

Earlier in the night the Purdon/Phelan produced another exciting trotter in Duke Of Bourbon, last season’s top trotting lot at the NZBS Karaka sale to win the $26,000 IRT Young Guns Prelude.

And the youthful(ish) theme continued with Andre Poutama driving the Arna Donnelly-trained Lulana to a brilliant win while Crystal Hackett continued her great season winning on Francent.

Then the Brent Lilley-trained, but with Hayden Cullen in the caretaker role, Kyvalley Ray made up for his last start expensive Cambridge mistake when he led throughout to win the NZBS Harness Million Trot over a brave Who’s Ya Daddy with favourite Our Col below her best in third.

Add in Life Less Ordinary, who might be a handy enough three-year-old, winning the last and this was a night with so many bookmarks to what lies ahead.