Herlihy stars on night of milestones

Tony Herlihy is looking at one of the strongest southern assault teams of his career.

The champion horseman produced two of brightest stars at Alexandra Park on Friday night in Lucky Luka and Belle Biddy, even though the latter was actually beaten into second in her Dunstan Fillies Sires’ Stakes heat.

She was the run of the race after sitting parked outside hot favourite Daisy Bay and all but claiming her in a massive performance after starting on the outside of the second line.

The win itself was notable as it took Robert and Jenna Dunn to 600 training wins in partnership and Daisy Bay has already proven herself a very good filly winning the Delightful Lady back in the first half of the season.

But Belle Biddy looks a very good one too and as a previous Sires’ Stakes heat winner will make her way to Christchurch for Cup week.

Before they head south though Daisy Bay and Belle Biddy will clash in the $100,000 Caduceus Club Classic at Group 1 level back at The Park on September 18.

Whether Belle Biddy is the best juvenile Herlihy is taking south after that remains to be seen because every time Lucky Luka steps on to the track he gets better.

The son of Bettor’s Delight again showed his dazzling speed to come from three back on the outer to run past the north’s best male juvenile pacers in Friday’s Woodlands Sires’ Stakes heat for the baby boys.

LUCKY LUCA REPLAY

It was his third win in four starts, all three coming via blistering sprints and Herlihy admits he is surprised.

“He just keeps getting better,” says Herlihy.

“I caught the juvenile race at Addington tonight too and the first two there were obviously very good too so this fella is going to have to keep standing up but he has earned his trip down there.”

Herlihy will also have Our Col as part of his southern team for the NZ Trotting Oaks and maybe Trotting Derby while he had a handful of other smart younger trotters so finds himself with as deep a team of youngsters as he has probably had in his entire training career.

Also heading to Addington might be Jeremiah (Lazarus), who will improve up the New Zealand Cup rankings after an easy win in Friday night’s main Alexandra Park pace.

He was set alight by Zachary Butcher on his first night back driving in over three months and was way too good, so he will take superior fitness to many of the other big guns into the Spring Cup in two weeks time.

Butcher doubled down in the Purdon/Phelan colours soon after with a perfect drive behind War Chief to win the last but he had to share family honours for performance of the night.

Because earlier father David drove his 2700th New Zealand winner when Jasinova led all the way to win the $30,000 Metro Trot Final, in what was remarkably the 25th win of her career, making her one of the most prolific winning mares in recent New Zealand trotting history.

Jasinova is an eight-year-old who was having her 212th start for trainer Dr Luk Chin but Friday’s other Metro winner in the $30,000 Pace is at the other end of her career with Wat Next just a three-year-old filly who might have picked up her Final on the way to an Oaks later in the season.

Trained by Nathan Purdon she helped him to a double for the night while father Mark enjoyed a rare driving treble in the first three straight races, the middle one coming on the Matthew Pemberton trained trotter What A Surprise.

For complete race results, click here.

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand