About to get the Party started

Republican Party (Bettor’s Delight) is back at Kentuckiana Lodge preparing for another tilt at the New Zealand Trotting Cup.

“He’s come off a six week holiday and has had a four week prep on the water walker. He’s here at the stables and he’ll hopple for another three to four weeks before he has his first trial,” said co-trainer Cran Dalgety.

Republican Party was New Zealand’s busiest grand circuit pacer between September and December last year, achieving sixteen starts from his Canterbury base and racing from Invercargill in the south to Auckland in the north.

He commenced his last campaign at the end of September last year and his final two races prior to the New Zealand Cup were the Canterbury Classic and the Ashburton Flying Stakes, both of which he won.

He was also tasked with fitting in two races in Australia, running second to Leap To Fame in the Kilmore Cup before finishing third in the A.G. Hunter Cup behind Swayzee and Leap To Fame.

But after coming back to New Zealand and racing in Auckland his form waned.

“He’d done a lot of miles and I think the battery sometimes gets a bit low. But he’s back bouncing around like a two year old.”

Dalgety says he hasn’t nailed a specific pathway to the Cup for the seven year stallion, but will probably follow a similar programme to last year.

“We’ll probably give him three or maybe four races before the big day. If you replicate the same thing as you did last year it doesn’t always work. You could have a wee set back or a bonus on the way. What you do is have a guideline really on how he did last year and what weight he was at a particular time. We’ll go for something similar to that and take a few rough edges off that if need be.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink