Hanara gets the drive behind Coastal Babe

Trainer Steven Reid has no concerns handing the reins on his stable harness racing star to a junior driver who has never sat behind her at Alexandra Park tonight.

The Pukekohe trainer has managed to sneak his Group 1 winning filly Coastal Babe (Downbytheseaside) into the Hydroflow Mobile Pace tonight by using claiming junior driver Taitlyn Hanara, whose claim means the Rating 69 filly gets into the up to Rating 65 race.

Coastal Babe will still have to start from the outside of the seven horses in the 2200m mobile but if she races up to her last start form that probably won’t matter, even though regular driver Matty White will be replaced by Hanara.

“I am happy to have Taitlyn on and I am sure she will be fine,” says Reid.

“She has plenty of experience and she has worked for Tony (Herlihy) so she has been taught how to drive properly.

“I haven’t even bothered getting her across to have a trackwork drive on her (Coastal Babe) because she is a pretty straight forward filly with no idiosyncrasies.”

Reid says Coastal Babe has thrived since he changed her diet and work programme because she was struggling with tying-up issues.

“I jog her a lot less and she does more short, sharp work to stop her tying up and she is loving it.

“That and I have taken oats out of her feed.”

Hanara will have two options tonight, with Coastal Babe having the gate speed to go forward and control the race but she was also very strong to the line last start when White opted to be passive early, attack mid-race and her respect saw her secure the lead and win easily.

With a fair bit of gate speed inside her tonight the second tactic may pay an easier dividend.

Reid also has two maidens in Race 2 (the TAB Golden Gait Loyalty Programme Mobile Pace) tonight and thinks it is the ideal race for Shake A Leg.

The three-year-old has run seven seconds and three thirds in 10 starts but the ace draw tonight should ensure he doesn’t has to leave the marker pegs and he is the master of his own destiny.

“It is quite a nice field but he worked really well on Tuesday and I think he is getting better,” explains Reid.

“So this really is his chance. I know it sounds funny saying that about a horse who runs second all the time but he is working like he can win.”

Reid also has debutante Bazooka in the same race and says the big son of Bettors Delight has plenty to learn and is not as forward as his stablemate but is one to follow in a start or two.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand