Big Friday night of racing for Arna Donnelly

Tonight is what trainer Arna Donnelly hoped her training career would look like.

Once known as the Cambridge horsewoman who improved other people’s cast-offs, Donnelly is now one of the most respected trainers in the New Zealand harness racing industry.

Tonight she has some of the best horses competing at both Addington and Alexandra Park, a rarity for anything but the elite premiership-winning stables with surnames like Purdon, Telfer or Dunn attached to them.

“It is pretty cool having top horses at both meetings but now we have to try and win a race or two,” she explains.

Possibly the best chance is Jolimont (Sweet Lou) (R9, No.5) in the main pace, the Pat Gubb Mobile Pace, at Alexandra Park.

He has looked an open class horse in the making for the last year and was a strong but luckless sixth against Merlin and the big boys in the Spring Cup two starts ago before he has to sit parked and undid himself by pulling too hard in the same grade last start.

He drops several grades tonight and while he meets another who has been racing at that level in Lady Of The Light, Jolimont has a better draw and the gate speed to use it in the mobile mile.

“Even though he was well beaten last start his sectionals were great and he has come through that well,” confirms Donnelly. 

“If he races up to his best he has to be hard to beat.”

It is no good thing that Jolimont will run straight to the lead but if he does reach the pace making role it is hard to see him being run down.

Donnelly also has Le Major (R8, No.4) in the Stew Ashworth Mobile pace and while she doesn’t doubt his motor he doesn’t fill her with the same confidence as Jolimont.

“We know how good he was last season and he won two trials before his fresh up run this time in but he was disappointing there.

“I really don’t know where he is at but he gets his chance to stand up this week and show us.”

Rough And Ready (R6, No.3) finds himself in one of tonight’s two $35,000 Metro Finals (The Lynette Burton) tonight but his trainer fears he has lost his gate speed so is looking forward to getting him back to standing start racing.

The Purdon/Phelan team look to hold the key to that final with Dawson and Always B Elite while the earlier $35,000 Tony Grayling Northern Metro Trot Final is very even but the early $12 price given by the bookies for Taylad To Use (R5, No.12) looked overs after two recent wins in fast times.

At Addington, Donnelly has stable star Kango returning but is expected to need a run in the main pace, the Alan Gibson Handicap Pace, as he hasn’t trialled but she has three good reps in a stacked Race 5, the Greg Prendergast Mobile Pace.

She has Mako, Little Spike and The Surfer up against one of the better three-year-olds from earlier in the season in We Walk By Faith.

Mako was outstanding when fourth in the Group 1 Flying Stakes last start but Donnelly stops short of rating him her best chance.

“I was actually really happy with all three of them last start so it might come down to who gets the right run.”

For complete race entries, click here

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand