Cup Week hopefuls put their form on the line at Ashburton

Marketplace (Bettor’s Delight – Cullen Who) heads a strong group of New Zealand Cup and Dominion Trot contenders racing at Ashburton’s Labour Day meeting today, with both Group 1 features to be run at Addington on Tuesday, November 10.

Australian Leap To Fame ($1.60) and Gus ($2) are the respective favourites in TAB’s New Zealand Cup and Dominion Trot markets, as reported on HarnessLink.

The four-year-old Marketplace is the shortest of today’s runners in the Cup market at $5 and starts from barrier three in the $60,000 Group 2 NZB Airfreight Ashburton Flying Stakes, a 2400m standing start at 5.50pm. Craig Ferguson drives for trainer Regan Todd, who has built the campaign around Cup Day.

“My job is to have him peaking for November 10,” Todd said.

Marketplace meets seven rivals, three of them priced inside $25 for the Cup. The Lazarus Effect ($11) is trained and driven by Bob Butt and starts from barrier five. Butt has said he would be happy to lead on the fast Ashburton track if his horse steps cleanly, but he has plenty of respect for the favourite.

“I think Marketplace is the best of the pacers we have over here,” Butt said.

It’s Tough ($15) begins from barrier seven with John Dunn driving for Robert and Jenna Dunn. Bettors Anvil ($21) beat Marketplace by 0.2 of a length in the Group 2 Lamb And Hayward Canterbury Classic at Addington on October 16, his second win this campaign. Tim Williams drives again from barrier eight for Steve and Amanda Telfer.

Dreams Are Free and Rubira are both $71 for the Cup, with Methven Cup winner Franco Sinatra and Renegade at $101.

Earlier in the afternoon, seven Dominion Trot contenders line up in the $40,000 Group 3 Tactical Landing Ashburton Trotters Sprint, a 1700m mobile at 4.03pm.
Mr Love, the shortest of them in the Dominion market at $9, starts from barrier three with Ben Hope, who trains the Rowe Cup winner with his father Greg. The gelding was disappointing at his last start at Addington, but Hope has said the horse was not right that night and has since been given time and a workout.

“He will go better than last start because that wasn’t his fault,” Hope said.

Hope expects the gelding to be close to his best today, with improvement still to come for Cup Week. The stable has won four of the last five editions of the race with the now-retired Muscle Mountain, and also starts Midnight Dash ($51) from barrier seven with Blair Orange.

Prestigious and Hillbilly Blues are both $15 for the Dominion. Prestigious, trained by Jonny Cox and driven by Kimberly Butt from barrier five, secured his Dominion place with a powerful win at Addington this spring. Hillbilly Blues is driven by Tony Herlihy. Resolve and Tarragindi are $71, with George Eliot at $151.

In Auckland on Friday night, Merlin led home a stable trifecta for Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan in a five-horse race over 1609m at Alexandra Park, beating stablemate Better Knuckle Up with Sooner The Bettor third. Merlin and Better Knuckle Up are both $21 for the Cup.

Marketplace has won 15 of his 28 starts, with seven seconds and two thirds, for $1,072,986 in stakes. The gelding was bred by G J McKenzie, G W Simon, Mrs M W Simon, T R Barron, A B Clark and Miss M M Scanlon, and is owned by Mrs G J Kennard, P I Kennard, P I Baken, Small Car World Ltd, R J Magness and R W Todd.

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From Harnesslink Media