Habibti Pat ready to strike fresh up

Habibti Pat (Father Patrick) isn’t just ready to be competitive when she steps up to open class in the $40,000 ITM Ordeal Cup at Addington tonight (7.57pm) she is ready to win it.

That is the opinion of the horseman in a perfect position to judge, her harness racing co-trainer Ben Hope.

Hope and his father Greg not only have last season’s NZ Trotting Derby winner in tonight’s race but two of her main rivals in Midnight Dash and Mr Love.

And Hope says of the three he rates Habibti Pat their best winning chance.

The four-year-old hasn’t raced since beating Meant To Be in the Derby at Addington last November but the form out of the Derby has stacked up extremely well.

Meant To Be who has won a major open class race as has another of the Derby beaten brigade in Higher Power while Youneverknow, Illicit Love and Crackerjack are all heading to open class as too is Major Doosie.

“I think it was a good Derby but we wanted to give her a big long spell after it and it has really helped her fill out,” explains Hope.

“She hasn’t gotten a lot taller but she has thickened up in the chest and hind quarters and we were happy with her trials a month ago.

“Being off the front line and with her natural ability I honestly think she is our best winning chance of the three this Friday.”

Hope says Midnight Dash, who was a luckless second in the Basil Dean last start, rates next while he thinks Mr Love will need another start before he starts to peak, something Hope was right about when he last tipped that exact same situation to HRNZ readers.

The chances in the Ordeal Cup obviously don’t stop there though with Mighty Logan back for his first start of 2026, Eurostyle well up to this grade and Bring On The Muscle in outstanding form, albeit not as suited by tonight’s conditions as when he won the Basil Dean two weeks ago.

The winner automatically qualifies for the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion Trot at Addington on Tuesday, November 10.

While the open trot contains many chances The Lazarus Effect has opened $1.30 and looks near unbeatable should be race up to his best in the Avon City Ford New Brighton Cup (8.26pm), an automatic qualifier for the New Zealand Trotting Cup.

He managed to find the lead in an almost identical field after starting off a 10m handicap two weeks ago but draws the ace on the front line tonight and unless he leaves his usual manners at home he looks likely to lead and win.

Trainer-driver Bob Butt has added the blinds to The Lazarus Effect to help him concentrate.

As good as those two races promise to be the first spring clash of the south’s best juvenile pacing boys, the Rangiora ITM Mobile Pace (8.54pm) might even be the highlight of the night.

Tour Party is the undoubtedly top seed of this crop so far but he cops the outside of the front line under the preferential draw conditions, meaning Chiggsy (1 second line), Faith Not Fear and Travel Agent all have a theoretical chance of gaining an advantage over him.

Tour Party was brutal beating Chiggsy in an Addington trial last week and even from his wide draw he will start favourite with Anthony Butt filling in for usual driver Carter Dalgety.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand