In demand driver snapped up

Harness racing trainers are always quick to snap up a reinsman when he’s at the peak of his form.

And former Kiwi Jack Trainor has found himself in demand at Tabcorp Park Menangle tonight, where he will pilot favourites in half the events on an eight-race program. Click here to view fields.

Trainor has only three runners from his own stable going around tonight and the best of those appears to be Iylac Beach, the $3.50 favourite in Race 1.

He’ll also drive B K Swy ($8) in Race 3 and Modern Attitude ($5) in Race 7, which frees him up for other trainers to grab him for other races.

That includes Tungsten Terror, an odds-on favourite trained by Brooke McPherson in Race 4 and Ideal Dan ($1.75) for his ‘stablemate’ at the Menangle Training Centre, Jason Grimson in Race 7.

Yet his best ‘outside’ drive is as caretaker trainer and driver for the fabulous four-year-old Krug for fellow New Zealander Cran Dalgety in the $50,000 Honda Grattan Stakes, a qualifier for the Chariots Of Fire, which has been given a prizemoney boost this year and will now be worth a cool $250,000.

Trainor this week described Krug as a lovely horse . . . and a true professional who wouldn’t be out of place in a Miracle Mile and, later on, a New Zealand Cup as well.

“He sat parked and did it tough in a 1:49 mile when he scored first-up here and he’s trained on really well since then,” said Trainor.

“All things well I hope to keep the drive, but we’ll get through tonight and just take every week one at a time.

“But this bloke is definitely a Miracle Mile sort of horse.

“He’s only four but he’s just a true professional; he can follow any sport of speed.

“And he’s definitely good enough to go with the best of them.”

Trainor also has plenty of time for Dalgety’s other stable star Just Remember Me.

“When I drove her first-up here she didn’t win by much but when horses came alongside her just past the finish line she picked up the bit again and just wouldn’t let them get past her,” he said.

“She gave me a great feel and when you see her over the 2400m of the NSW Oaks you’ll see the best of her and its exciting to drive a horse like her because she’s in the top echelon.”

By Michael Court for HRNSW