We Walk By Faith gets the right draw

Don’t let We Walk By Faith’s (Bettor’s Delight) lack of standing start form put you off taking the best odds in tonight’s $100,000 Roy Purdon Memorial at Alexandra Park tonight (8.55pm).

Because dig a bit deeper and there is more to his one start, one miss record from behind the tapes as he goes into a race where standing start harness racing manners will be crucial.

Tonight’s race, named in honour of the Godfather of New Zealand harness racing, is a 2200m stand but with four of the biggest names starting off 10m, which could prove extremely difficult if the front markers step and run hard.

The toughest to catch would be We Walk By Faith, who came from near last to win the Taylor Mile two starts ago starting off level marks with tonight’s rivals so he is beautifully placed starting in barrier 1 on the front line.

Whether that proves a gift or a curse will depend on if he can begin safely or quickly, and get a marker pegs run while others like Republican Party, Chase A Dream or stablemate Don’t Stop Dreaming have to come wide.

“I think he can begin quickly,” says co-trainer Hayden Cullen, who with wife Amanda is in the best form of his career.

“He has only had the one stand and I know he only finished fifth but he was off a 30m handicap by himself at Cambridge and once they began he had nothing to race so just mucked around.

“He was safe but not fast and ended up being last most of the way and never really got into it.

“But it wasn’t his manners that cost him and being a good pacer I think he can use his draw this week so the stand doesn’t bother me.”

On his Taylor Mile win and fourth as the only horse coming wide in last Friday’s Messenger, if We Walk By Faith leads or trails free-goers like Sooner The Bettor or Rakero Rocket, he will be the horse to beat.

The Cullens also have the enigmatic Don’t Stop Dreaming in the race and while Hayden opts for We Walk By Faith as their better hope Don’t Stop Dreaming, like all those on the 10m mark, could win if the race gets turned on its head at the start.

“He was good last week and didn’t have a hard run, which should suit him this time, and he can go close but of course that might depend how the race is run.”

Republican Party looks the best placed of the pacers on the 10m mark as he is a great beginner and has been in wonderful form so he if can step quick enough to gain an advantage over some of the front markers, then the complexion of the race might change.

That will also be the case for Mo’unga, although he is the horse who looks unluckiest to be back on the 10m mark while what Chase A Dream does tonight is anybody’s guess.

On a night with so many big trot races the juvenile pacers have their autumn finals with Alecto (R8, No.2) looking to have a major advantage in the draws over unbeaten Australian filly Ripples (9), who beat her last Friday but raced erratically.

In the boys’ final Fugitive (R6, No.6) looks the most advanced but Andretti (4) should be a big improver on last Friday.

The Cullen team also have high class filly General Jen taking on the older horses in Race 2 and she prepares for the Sires’ Stakes Final next Friday.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand