The return of Republican Party in Addington Summer Cup

Trainer Cran Dalgety isn’t letting the rollercoaster of Cup week put him off stable harness racing star Republican Party (Bettor’s Delight) returning to winning form at Addington tonight.

The gutsy little stallion produced the run of his career for third in the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup last month, running past Merlin as Swayzee and Don’t Stop Dreaming surged clear.

It was a mammoth effort but luck was against Republican Party three days later in the NZ Free-For-All when he was held up across the top by a struggling Kango and couldn’t get out of his three-deep pocket until the race was over.

So Dalgety is willing to put that eighth down to luck, or a lack of it, and says Republican Party still had a hell of a week.

“His run in the Cup was enormous and it was just a shame he got crossed by Kango early in the Free-For-All, which we weren’t expecting,” says Dalgety.

“But we have freshened him up since then and he worked really well on the weekend so we have the real deal ready to go this week.

“We considered going to the Franklin Cup up north but he would have been off a handicap I think we are better off here where he is off the same mark, albeit drawn widest at the mobile.”

While the East West Fencing Summer Cup boasts a only small field there are enough staying type horses in the race like Franco Marek and Mo’unga to suggest there could be decent tempo to allow Republican Party to be flying late.

Whether he can fly fast enough may depend on how quickly those other favourites sort themselves out.

A good performance tonight will see Republican Party head to the Invercargill Cup with Dalgety, who trains with his wife Chrissie, not totally dismissing the idea of the Auckland Cup just over a week later.

“But we have a fair bit of water to go under the bridge before then.”

If either Franco Marek or Mo’unga is able to run to the lead without pressure in tonight’s 1980m mobile either would be hard to beat but Mo’unga, who opened the $2.60 TAB favourite, hadn’t raced since his sixth in the NZ Cup so may be conceding at least a little race fitness and that could be enough to see him driven conservatively.

The Summer Cup is the standout of the night but the Peek Exhibition Fillies and Mares Christmas Bonus Mobile Trot is a fun race that pits Freya, dropping out of taking on Keayang Zahara, up against High Step and Rush over 1980m mobile.

For complete race entries, click here

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand