The New South Wales Derby at Tabcorp Park Menangle is always one of the highlights of the harness racing season in Australia.
With its stake money of $200,000 and it being run on the huge day with the Miracle Mile, it tends to draw the best three year olds from all over Australasia and this year was no exception.
We had the best from Victoria, New South Wales, Perth and New Zealand in what was a great field of three year olds.
The raging favourite was the brilliant Australian bred, New Zealand trained gelding Waikiki Beach who was fifteen from fifteen going into the Derby.
However a lot of the competition thought they were closing the gap on the unbeaten star going by his run in the Derby heat last week where he looked vulnerable for the first time in his career.
The early fireworks came from Zee Dana who burned the gate from barrier ten to lead after 150 metres for Nathan Jack.
Natalie Rasmussen on Waikiki Beach came out of barrier seven and slowly worked around the field to the death seat before taking up the lead at the 1500 metre mark.
No sooner had Waikiki Beach got to the front that Cant Refuse and James Rattray came around and sat on his wheel.
Natalie never really upped the tempo until the 600 metres mark but Waikiki Beach couldn't shake Cant Refuse and Zee Dana who were still in contention as they turned for home.
All the way up the long Menangle straight, Can't Refuse tried to level up with Waikiki Beach but couldn't but he did manage to keep Zee Dana, who looked to be full of running in a pocket and unable to improve until the race was over.
It was a lovely controlled drive by Natalie and ensured that Waikiki Beach continued on his winning way.
Waikiki Beach paced the 2400 metres in 2:50.8, a mile rate of 1:55.5 which equaled the race and track record.
While the margin again looked narrow, Natalie was more than happy with the performance.
“ Being a Somebeachsomewhere means he does have a tendency to get a bit hot so we have been working on him to get him to relax a lot more in his races instead of pressing the go button all the time.”
“ For his long term future he needs to settle better in his races and he is starting to do that now.”
" If anything he has switched off a bit more than we would like in his last couple but he has only done what he has had too to win both times."
"They have got up to him in his last couple but getting past him is another matter," Natalie told Harnesslink post race.
His next run could be back in Auckland with a view to racing in the Woodlands Northern Derby where a clash with either Lazarus, Dream About Me or both which would be real coup for the Auckland Trotting Club
Harnesslink Media