Kentuckiana parties

“Amazing. Probably my best night on a racetrack. I’ll remember that one for a long time,” driver Carter Dalgety said after winning with Republican Party (Bettor’s Delight) in the $100,000 Group One Roy Purdon Memorial at Alexandra Park last night.

It was a double for Dalgety and his parents Cran and Chrissie of Kentuckiana Lodge as they’d earlier won the Group One Cardigan Bay Stakes with Fugitive.

In last night’s open class feature Republican Party began like a bullet and soon slotted into the one one.

“We were lucky that we timed it well. He played the game, there was a good wee gap that I could get through. We had to be a little bit patient early.”

Dalgety then pushed forward to take up the lead. With a lap to run Chase A Dream came up to sit parked.

Turning in, Republican Party was travelling and he went down to the line to win by a length and a half from Sooner The Better with an unlucky We Walk By Faith half a length back in third.

REPUBLICAN PARTY REPLAY

“When he got on the front he was flicking his ears and pricking them and he never really does that. It just shows what a good space he’s in. It was a blessing that Chase A Dream got up beside him, got him on the job and he really swelled up and found a good kick in the straight.”

The winning time was 2-42.0 well inside the race record of 2-44.0 held by 2022 winner Self Assured.

The win caps off a marvellous feature race winning sequence for the six year old stallion. In December he won the Auckland Cup, in April he added the NZ Messenger and now The Roy Purdon Memorial – all Group One features.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink