Stunning win in $100,000 Easter cup

With the depth of the open class pacing ranks in New Zealand not exactly flush this season due to injury and retirement, harness racing has been crying out for a new face to challenge the established stars and just lately there have been a few looking likely.

Seel  The Deal and Costa Del Magnifico have suggested they will be challengers with some outstanding performances so far this season while some of those coming back from injury such as Locharburn and Franco Nelson are proven performers at this level but now have to really re-establish themselves after quietly working themselves back into form.

Tonights $100,000 Group 1 Easter Cup at Addington Raceway only drew one horse to have raced on the Grand Circuit with distinction this season in the form of the Courage Under Fire gelding, Smolda who was handicapped on 20 metres. 

Locharburn (Christian Cullen) is a renowned stayer and with a 20 metre head start, he was given a good chance of upsetting Smolda while several others had a case to be a first four player.

Mighty Flying Mac and Blair Orange grabbed the lead early and kept the tempo solid before handing up to Sky Major and Zac Butcher with two laps to go.

Two hundred metres later, Locharburn and Dexter Dunn who been working around the field for the first 800 metres swept to the front with ease and eased off the pace a touch to give the big horse a bit of a breather.

With a mile to go, Smolda and Mark Purdon started to mooch around the field from the rear and ended up on Locharburn's wheel with 1000 metres to go at which point Dexter upped the tempo.

Off the back straight Dexter went for broke and put two to three lengths on Smolda as they straightened for home.

As only Smolda can do, he slowly started to reel in Locharburn in the straight and in the last 50 metres Smolda got up alongside Locharburn but just couldn't get past and was still a neck adrift at the winning post.

Smolda was as game as ever in running second with Mighty Flying Mac flying along the inner late for third.

Costa Del Magnifico provided a minor highlight of the race after working early, sitting parked for 600 metres and running on well again to break 4:00 in finishing fourth.

Locharburn paced the 3200 metres in a very quick 3:58.9, a mile rate of 2:00.1 with closing sectionals of 55.3 and 27.9

It is the third quickest time for the 3200 metres Easter Cup since the race was changed to that distance in 1972 with only Christen Me and Monkey King having gone quicker.

Smolda's official time of 3:57.4 off the 20 metres mark was a brilliant effort from the old warrior.

Dexter Dunn was all smiles post race.

"I had to work a bit early to get around them but once I got to front I was able to button off the speed a touch."

"I upped the ante at the 1000 metre mark and really put the pressure on down the back straight."

"When I had a look just before the corner, I thought Mark was a bit flat on Smolda so I went for home."

"I thought I was on the winner until the last 50 metres when Smolda really came at us but Locharburn had enough of a lead to hold him out and my fella fights really hard," Dexter said.

Locharburn plans are not set in concrete but Dexter felt that tonights race may be last this season with a view to having a long prep aimed at next years New Zealand Cup.

Harnesslink Media