Bagrie runners primed for Methven

Friday afternoon (Oct. 28) harness racing action heads back to the picturesque Mt Harding Raceway with the Methven Trotting Club set to play host for its third grass track meeting of the Spring.

The club was once again greeted with stellar nominations and despite initially programming just the eight races across the afternoon, the support from trainers and owners has seen the club expand its card to a 10-race twilight meeting, much to the delight of everyone involved.

The meeting includes the first two heats of the New Zealand Junior Drivers championships with the country’s leading youngsters coming together from all over the country to do battle in the coveted competition against their peers.

Punters hoping to find a winner today will have to be on the ball, with the grass track meeting being run exclusively as a short course programme with distances either being run over the mile or a 1700m journey.

One trainer with a great chance of collecting some stake money is Ohoka trainer, Tom Bagrie.

Bagrie takes a team of three to south on the float to Methven today, beginning with True Confessions (Father Patrick) in the first of the card.

True Confessions has not put a foot wrong since her introduction to racing late last month. Her first of three starts was in the G3 $40,000 Sires Stakes Classique against some of the best fillies in her age group, and she didn’t let the young Canterbury trainer and her large group of owners down.

“She is just a nice type of three-year-old filly who is getting better all the time really,” said Bagrie.

“She is really honest and tries her heart out. We probably didn’t need to put her in the Sires Stakes Classique last month but with the new rule where you must contest the Sires Stakes races if you are eligible, it sort of suited her that weekend and we thought we would have a crack.

“She’s come through it alright and has been working well since. She’s no star but if she gets a bit of luck, she might be able to get some money today,” he said.

True Confessions is no stranger to the Methven surface having contested a deep maiden contest at Mt Harding in just her second start. Despite being three wide from the 600m, she stuck to her guns for a creditable fourth and Bagrie believes it will put his filly in good stead for today’s assignment.

“Because she had that first-up run in age group company, I was worried it might have bottomed her. I gave her a bit of a let-up for that Methven run earlier in the month and didn’t do a lot of work leading into it. As a result, she really blew hard and up over the back after the run.

“If anything, it helped bring her on even more and I think that first run on the grass wouldn’t look like it was quite as good as she can be, I expect her to handle the track well today,” he said.

True Confessions is the seventh foal out of the Muscles Yankee mare, Rosedorae, a breed Bagrie has had a lot to do with having trained her fourth foal and NZ Trotting Derby placegetter, B D Khaosan (Angus Hall). The family traces back to the famed Moccasin breed which is the tail lines of two champions of yester year in Stylish major and Le Chant.

They are just sort of get on and do it horses who get a bit keen and grit their teeth and she has a lot of the same sort of characteristics as her brother BD Khaosan and sister Love Rose (Love You). She just doesn’t look like them that much, she has a different sort of frame but that’s ok, she is growing into it now and is looking a lot stronger after a wee spell,” he said.

The latter of the aforementioned siblings is also on the float to Methven with Love Rose contesting the eighth on the card in the Liquorland Tinwald Mobile Trot over the mile.

The four-year-old mare has won on the track earlier in her career and is looking to recapture some of the form that saw her the winner of two races from just her first four race day starts.

“We don’t really want to put her in foal yet, we were hoping to race her for another season. She has had issues and we are just pulling our hair out at the moment trying a few different things and pieces of gear with her.

“She doesn’t seem to be finishing off her races as well as she can at the moment. She’s been putting herself in good handy positions early and has just been battling away.

“To be fair she’s been racing in much better company, and they have been going some pretty slick times for the grade she has been in. Hopefully with the step back in grade today, it will help her to be competitive or we will have to go back to the drawing board. Whether that’s the breeding shed or a bit of a freshen up, we will just wait and see,” he said.

The third of the three Bagrie runners will come in the second of the card in the Te Awatea Stables Mobile Pace.

Three-year-old filly, Treasure Trail (Sportswriter), is having her first race day appearance since May after six starts in her first campaign threw up some mixed results for connections.

“She’s always had a bit of ability but has a bit of a screw loose,” he laughed.

“Last time in she made more mistakes in just getting around the track in one piece. We seem to be going all good at the trials and at home and touch wood she is ready to put some of those past issues behind her.

“Leading into today she has been working well and we’ve been giving her some quiet trials to prepare for this campaign to try and keep her happy without thinking it’s all too hard. If she gets a bit of luck today, she can definitely run in the money.”

Bagrie has had more fortune than most with some of the stock of Sportswriter having won the G2 $50,000 Southland Oaks with a daughter by the son of Artsplace.

“There’s no real reason we have had so many other than the fact the ones we have had have done quite a good job for us. Most of them we have had have been with my owner Brian Cowley.

“He has had a lot of luck with Sportswriter and his progeny, he obviously bred Pressed For Time and this girl he bought as a weanling with Claire (Sarsfield). She goes back to a real good Southland family and on paper it looked like a good cross and hopefully she proves us right this time in,” he said.

Bagrie’s father Peter will also have a runner on the float with the three-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven filly, Valiant Angel contesting the fifth on the card.

VALIANT ANGEL REPLAY

She is already a winner on the track having won over the same distance three weeks earlier and the family favourite is well placed to repeat the dose again. When asked about the best chances for Team Bagrie today, Tom was quick to suggest his father’s charge could be the pick of them

Dad’s horse Valiant Angel will love the shorter trip, but I thought True Confessions having great manners would be a great asset from the 1700m stand today,” he said.

The twilight meeting kicks off with the first of 10 races being run at 2:39pm this afternoon.

For complete Methven fields, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink