Youneverknow favoured in feature trot at Alexandra Park tonight

By Michael Guerin

Youneverknow could be the right horse at the right time to be one of the big movers of our spring trotting ranks.

And that could start at Alexandra Park tonight even though champion horseman Tony Herlihy warns the four-year-old might be half a run away from his peak.

Youneverknow will be having his first start in five weeks when he comes off a 15m handicap in a good field in the Plumbing World Trot (8.56pm), a race which also sees Belle Niege back for her first start since contesting the $600,000 TAB Trot slot race at Cambridge in April.

Youneverknow has a fair way to go before he starts contesting open class races like that but everything he has done in his career has suggested he will get there, especially his last start win when he sat parked and bolted away in 1:58.7 mile.

With the New Zealand open class trotting ranks at a low after the retirement of Muscle Mountain, Oscar Bonavena and Bet N Win they need some new blood and Youneverknow could be up to that grade inside six months.

“He is a pretty good horse and I think he will only get better with more racing,” says Herlihy.

“He had a little let up after his last win but has won at the workouts since and while he will derive plenty of improvement from this Friday’s race he will still be hard to beat.”

Even though he is on a 15m handicap Youneverknow should settle handy and perhaps the most crucial factor will be getting an economical first half of the race while staying in front of key rivals Bravehearthighlander and Belle Neige.

There is also talent, albeit erratic, on the front line in Paramount Spur and Pantani so the race could be a nice form guide to what lies ahead before other big trotting names like Hillbilly Blues, Meant To Be and Higher Power return in a few weeks.

Herlihy is having a red hot run with his trotters and that looks likely to continue in Race 2 tonight in which he has three of the favourites.

He has Franco Ronaldo and Muscle Memory on the front line and two-year-old filly Bijou back on 30m, a huge ask over 2200m for a juvenile.

“They are all nice horses but obviously Bijou faces a tough task off her handicap,” says Herlihy.

“Franco Ronaldo was really good on debut after galloping and has trialed since and if he gets things right he will be very hard to beat.”

Herlihy will be in the sulky behind The Surfer (R8, No.11) in tonight’s main pace, the Chesters Plumbing and Bathroom Cistern Cup Mobile Pace (8.23pm) in which he faces a daunting task from a second line draw over 1700m, especially as favourite Secret Beach is one of the more exciting intermediate grade pacers in the North Island after a mammoth last start victory.

The smokey of Herlihy’s team tonight could be He’s Not That Into U in the last race, the Pipe Fix Plumbing Mobile Pace (9.29pm) after he ran on well at Cambridge last start.

“He is getting better and hopefully he can settle a bit handier this week and be a chance.”