Team Hughes heads back to Cambridge today

It worked so well last Tuesday that Team Hughes will try to double down on taking harness racing juveniles to Cambridge for confidence-boosting wins tonight.

Trainers Brian and Gareth Hughes took their stable star Captain Sampson to Cambridge last Tuesday to keep him ticking over for the Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes at Addington on Cup Day and he duly won beating older horses.

Captain Sampson won’t be returning today as he heads to Alex Park this Friday but co-trainer Gareth Hughes hopes the same recipe works for Crumsy (Captain Crunch) (R3, No.1) and Hot And Dangerous (Captaintreacherous) (R5, No.6).

Both are two-year-olds maidens so find perfect juvenile non-winners races today but they have different immediate futures planned.

Hot And Dangerous has only had three starts for two huge seconds and an unlucky unplaced effort when she never got clear in the Caduceus Club Final.

She is already qualified for the Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington on Show Day so like Captain Sampson did last week she is using tonight’s race for fitness and to gain some experience left-handed before he trip south.

While she opened the $1.70 favourite the race looks no pushover as she meets Amazing Captain (No.2) who she had to work hard to get past in their latest Alexandra Park clash so tactics and early tempo will be crucial.

“Our filly is a lovely horse still improving but the other horse has the draw advantage so it should be a good race,” says Hughes.

Crumsy is less exposed than Hot And Dangerous but is red hot in Race 3 which has few horses who should threaten him if he is able to lead

“I think he can lead,” says Hughes.

“Matty [White, driver] said he felt like he had good gate speed last start so I think we will use him early and he will be hard to beat around Cambridge in front.

“He is a big horse who might end up taking more time than our other two-year-olds so after a couple more runs he might go for a spell and I think he will come back an even better horse.”

The stable also has Inlouof (R7, No.2) in tonight and while he has not finished winning yet he meets some decent older horses in the last race.

Tonight’s twilight meeting hosts the first two legs of the McMillan Equine Feeds NZ Junior Driver’s Championships, one trotting leg and one pacing.

Both are very even as are the quality of drives allotted but local junior Emily Johnson looks to have a handy book with Ordained and Caulfield as does Carter Dalgety with Aradne and Conrad H.

The series continues at Addington on Wednesday and back there on Friday.

For complete race entries, click here

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand