Lazarus gelding the one to beat in Metro Final

When a horse gets his own way in front and falls in to win it usually isn’t a good next-up form pointer.

But don’t be fooled in to thinking that sums up Jeremiah’s (Lazarus) chances in the first $35,000 Lather Up Northern Metro Final at Alexandra Park tonight (7.30pm).

Because co-trainer Scott Phelan says a seemingly poor second line draw tonight could actually aid the three-year-old over the 2200m mobile.

Jeremiah was too good for many he meets tonight in a heat of this series but on that occasion led, only paced a sedate 2:42 and his last 800m in 56.1 seconds so had every right to win.

“I don’t think we saw the best of him that night because he is not actually a leader,” explains Phelan.

“He is a better chaser and I think you will see that in the second half of the season.

“He is a pretty good horse and we think he might be one of the better three-year-olds in the country.

“We’d love to get him into THE VELOCITY at Addington on Show Day and we think he isn’t far behind Cold Chisel [Great Northern Derby winner].”

If that is the case then Jeremiah is the one to beat even from the second line tonight in a race that shows the Metro series concept is working as it has real depth including Always B Elite (favourite’s stablemate), Hawkeye Pierce and the in-form Seaclusion.

The Purdon/Phelan stable has a host of good chances throughout the night starting with Ilsa Son in Race 1, The What The Hill – Sire of Square Gait Stars Handicap Trot. He was trapped wide last time but Phelan expects him to be better suited by the 2200m step and run tonight.

Invisible and former Southland pacer Hezasweetie can both be prominent in Race 2, the Downbytheseaside – Making A Splash Mobile Pace, although the latter’s inside second line draw negates his gate speed on his northern debut.

The stable has smart juvenile fillies Won And Only and I’m Sandra Dee in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Sires’ Stakes heat which features the majority of the field backing up from last Friday’s abandoned fillies race after a race smash.

How that has impacted the confidence of the fillies involved is impossible to know but with most coming from major stables punters should be comfortable they wouldn’t be lining up if the signs had not been good.

It features a battle between Purdon/Phelan and Team Telfer as does the Woodlands Sires’ Stakes heat for boys in the very next race in which Bar Louie’s front line draw gives him the edge over the Purdon/Phelan trio of Confederate, I Got Chills and The Night Agent, all drawn the second line.

Meanwhile, Phelan was thrilled with how the stable big guns Merlin, Sooner The Better and Mach Shard came through their first public workout of a new campaign at Pukekohe last week.

“They are all doing great, so well we don’t think they will need another workout before the Spring Cup [September 20].”

For complete race entries, click here.

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand