Chilcott has big plans for newest stable star

Trainer Nicky Chilcott is trying to contain her excitement with New Zealand’s best early-season juvenile trotter The Moonstone (Monkey Bones).

But it can’t be easy as the harness racing daughter of Monkey Bones has looked something special in her two unbeaten starts.

The Moonstone was enormous winning on debut after an early break then was professional when beating surprise favourite High Step at Alexandra Park last Thursday.

Both her wins have come in heats of the Young Gun series for trotters, a welcome addition, which has its $40,000 final at Alexandra Park on May 19.

“She is pretty exciting and to have this new series for her is a huge bonus,” says Chilcott.

“It had to be her big early target because she is not Harness Million eligible because she didn’t go through the sales and she isn’t in the Sires’ Stakes either.

“So this race is her big target and then we can give her a break and aim her at the Ace Of Hearts at Addington in December.”

That $100,000 race solely against fellow two-year-old trotting fillies would seem the perfect target after her winter break and her wins will mean she is already qualified but Chilcott, as much as she loves her new stable star, is trying to be realistic.

“The one thing I would say is that she looks like a three-year-old colt now so I am sure she is the most advanced two-year-old trotter in the country.

“That being the case the others could catch up as they mature but we love what we have and what she is doing.”

Chilcott is working a team of around 25 and takes two of them to Cambridge on Thursday night.

“Del Shannon (R1) is better than he has been showing us,” Chilcott tells HRNZ.

“He actually has real speed but he isn’t showing it so this week I have told Leah (Hibell, stable junior driver) to step and keep running because he isn’t showing that speed.

“But he is a hard horse to get a line on, I can’t quite work him out.”

The stable’s other rep, Mahia Dreamin (A Rocknroll Dance) in race six, is also not short on ability in this grade but has has recent issues.

“She won two in a row really well a few starts back then at her next start she went terrible and pulled up lame, which came out as a hoof asbcess the next day.

“We worked her back up but she went poor the next start and I thought she might be ready for a break but I gave her one more go and she was a good third last start.

“She can go well this week but I am taking her prep one race at a time at this stage.”

Two impressive last-start trotting winners in Majestic Ruby (R1) and Kiss Me Pixel (R7) will provide some of the intrigue to tonight’s meeting.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand