Two Francs on the money at Alexandra Park

By Michael Guerin

Friday night’s version of Two Francs is an open class trotter.

But that version of the Andrew and Lyn Neal squaregaiter doesn’t turn up every week which is why he is still very much a work in progress.

That work reached its career peak at Alexandra Park on Friday night when the five-year-old bolted away with his $35,000 TAB Metro Trot, putting nearly five lengths on his rivals with Lyn doing the driving.

Two Francs trotted the mobile 2200m in 2:44.9 and if a trotter can break 2:45 for that trip and distance most weeks it will end up in open class.

Which wouldn’t surprise Andrew Neal.

“He has that level of ability but he is still learning,” says the Cambridge horseman.

“We took him to the workouts recently and he trotted his last 800m in a tick over 56 seconds so we know he can trot.

“He can still hang and pull a bit but he will keep getting better.”

The Neal team is going through a good patch with the couple having 10 in work and Lyn doing more driving than she has for a while.

Two Francs' win was matched in the Metro Pacing Heat winner by Mama’s Wish who also led throughout in the hands of Harrison Orange to hold out Incentivise.

The three-year-old trained by Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan was clearly fitter for his fresh up run in the heat and with his gate speed and obvious ability he could be a Derby horse at the back end of this year.

His stablemate Chanel Noire continued her good form with a win in the first while Rahm was way better than his maiden opponents in the second after trainer-driver Tony Herlihy stole the race.

But the drive of the night went to junior Kate Coppins for a pearler on Little Spike in the main handicap pace.

Starting from 35m behind over 2200m in a handy field, Coppins cut the corners and then produced the Arna Donnelly-trained pacer at the perfect time in one of the best drives you could ever hope to see from a junior. 

Coppins wasn’t the only female cutting things fine on the way to the winner’s circle on Friday night as Sheryl Wigg trained and drove Aldebaran Redwood to win the handicap trot under very unusual circumstances.

The big boy’s sulky wheel went inside three markers pegs in the home straight but the JCA officials decided Wigg was forced to do so by the other horse in the passing lane so they were allowed to keep the win. 

It raises serious questions about what rights horses have in the passing lane, especially at Alexandra Park where it appears to taper closer to the post and doesn't really fit two horses.