Bronski Delight set for Constellations honours

Trainer Charlie Cini will be shooting for higher honours with progressive harness racing youngster Bronski Delight (Bettors Delight) following the filly setting the benchmark Trot Rods time for 2023.

In just the second week of heats, the promising three-year-old set the quickest time of the series so far, stopping the clock in 65.4 seconds.

The time bettered the previous fastest mark achieved by Flash Freddie on the opening week of heats last Wednesday.

The daughter of Bettors Delight – Bronski Delight – is building an imposing record with the Wednesday evening Redcliffe triumph the seventh of her 19-start career.

While the Jacobs Well-based horseman was pleased to take out a heat of the Trot Rods series and set the speediest time, Cini is thinking a little bigger with Bronski Delight.

He has the upcoming Queensland Constellations on his mind.

“She is very well-bred and she has got high speed,” the trainer said on Thursday morning.

“She should hopefully be good enough to go into a few Oaks’ down the track.

“She will be in the Breeders and the QBRED races and then we will aim her for the Oaks, if she is good enough.

“She has got good speed – the draws are the biggest thing – if she draws good then she will be there.”

The Queensland Oaks will now be run for $150,000 in 2023, while the Redcliffe Oaks will become a Group 3 race with $50,000 up for grabs.

The emerging filly finished second in the Group 1 QBRED TRIAD Final for two-year-old fillies in late August of last year.

With the leading reinsman in the Sunshine State – Nathan Dawson – in the sulky, Bronski Delight did it easy in the end, scoring by just over three metres on Wednesday night after sitting off a hot speed in the early stages of the 947 metre contest.

“It was pretty well rated on Wednesday night, it was probably the easiest race she has ever been in,” Cini said.

“She looked the winner.

“Nathan Dawson drove her a treat, he let them go mad in the first 400 metres and then he put the foot down and she can sprint very good.

“Nathan is probably the leading driver in Australia at the moment in terms of winners.”

The 58-year-old Cini was yet to have a runner in any of the previous Trot Rods’ series prior to Wednesday evening.

With the young filly boasting an abundance of speed, he described her as an “ideal horse” for the concept.

While Bronski Delight holds the benchmark after four heats, Cini believes it will be hard for his filly to hold to claim the 2023 title for the series.

“It is a shame the track was wet on Wednesday night as I think she could have gone quicker,” he said.

“At least she got around and got the prize money.

“I think the better horses will run a faster time than her on a dry track in the coming weeks.”

Bronski Delight is likely to return to Albion Park for her next assignment early in May.

Throughout April and May, ‘The Triangle’ will host weekly Trot Rods heats each Wednesday, culminating in a finale night on Wednesday May 24, which will be isolated to 10 Trot Rods races and showcased on SKY 2 coverage via Foxtel, along with standard coverage on SKY 1.

by Jordan Gerrans, for Racing Queensland