Double Delight hard to beat tonight

Tony Herlihy has had a small win this week even before he takes his Harness Jewels harness racing champ Double Delight (Captaintreacherous) to Alexandra Park tonight (Jan. 20).

Because he now has back in the stable, albeit it in a non-working capacity, his stable star Bolt For Brilliance as he continues his recovery from a fractured pedal bone.

Bolt For Brilliance suffered that injury in the final round of heats of the Inter Dominions in Victoria last month, not only costing him his spot in the Final which he was favourite to win but also putting him out of the entire summer.

While the timing could hardly have been worse Herlihy takes solace from the fact Bolt For Brilliance is now home for another six weeks of box rest and that his prognosis is good.

“He got home on Thursday and it is great to have him back and I am sure he is happy to be back in his home surroundings,” says Herlihy.

“He will have the rest of his box rest and then we will get his x-rayed and he can start some paddock time.

“But the prognosis suggests he can come back to racing so we will give him all the time he needs.”

That leaves him with Double Delight as his active stable trotting star and she is back from a luckless southern campaign in race five at a small Alex Park meeting tonight.

“She is here getting ready for a $30,000 mares’ race at Cambridge next week,” says Herlihy.

“But she has come back from Christchurch in good order and her work has been good so this looks a good race for her and she will be hard to beat.”

It is a small field over 2200m so Double Delight’s front line draw is crucial, giving her a 15m start over last-start Greenlane Cup winner Resolve, who is now trained by John Dickie.

Herlihy has three reps in the night’s main pace, with Blameitonthenight (Bettor’s Delight) rated the better chance because of the draw, with Melanion (Bettor’s Delight), who was disappointing last start and Mr Kaplan (Betterthancheddar) both drawn the second line.

“It is a good field and I think Zarias will be hard to beat,” says Herlihy.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand