Hewitt hoping for the ‘right’ Spare Me Days

Goulburn trainer Brad Hewitt admits he is unsure which Spare Me Days will turn up to compete in the haarness racing  Renshaw Cup at Penrith on Thursday night.  The four-year-old Ifihadyourluck gelding can look like a ‘world beater’ one week and struggle the next and Hewitt finds it impossible to predict in what mood the gelding will be in.

After winning the Young Cup two starts ago defeating Group One winning mare Frith in the process, Spare Me Days performed well below his best at Bathurst at his next run.

“I never know what I’m going to get with him, his run at Young was so good and he felt so strong but then at Bathurst he was plain and I could tell after I made the move to the chair that he was having one of his off nights,” Hewitt said.

“What makes it harder to predict is that he is a dreadful track worker so you never get a clear indication whether he is going well or not because his work is poor.”

Hewitt believes the Shane Tritton trained Yayas Hot Spot has the pace to cross from out wide on the front row in the Renshaw Cup which would put Spare Me Days behind the leader.  However Hewitt does not want to get shuffled back any further.

“Yayas Hot Spot has got the speed to cross us all and if Spare Me Days can race on the back of the leader I think he has a great winning chance but they have been driving Yayas Hot Spot with a sit so if he crossed and then handed up to something else we’ll find it tough.

“From three back on the pegs he would need a lot of luck.  He handles the small tracks really well as he proved at Young, the half mile track is no concern at all.”

Thursday’s trip to Penrith will be a rare one for Hewitt especially during the colder months as he is normally training with his rugby league team the Goulburn Bulldogs.

“Thursday night is normally training but I was lucky this week because the coach had a coaching clinic to go to so he transferred training to Friday night.

“I normally start the year in first grade but I miss a few training session and a couple of games because of the horses and I end up getting dropped back to reserves.  I play in the centres, we’ve had one game this year and had a win so it has been a good start.”

Spare Me Days will need to compete in one of the two remaining Carnival Of Cups feature races to be eligible for the $20,000 bonus that is up for grabs.  Horses must compete in four of the six events to qualify for the Carnival Of Cups bonus and after racing in the Goulburn and Young Cups he has already earned vital points.  After Thursday night’s Renshaw Cup, the final two legs will be conducted at Bankstown and Menangle.

Greg Hayes