Merlin’s back waving the wand

“Anytime I win on my old mate Merlin (Art Major) it’s a good night,” said driver Zachary Butcher after the six year old won his twenty fifth race at Alexandra Park tonight.

While southern horses have been tuning up for the Go Media New Zealand Cup on home turf, northern trainers Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan have been slowly fine tuning their two Cup runners Merlin and Bettor Knuckle Up, closer to home.

After having to race off handicaps from a standing start over 2200 metres, Merlin started off level mark in tonight’s 1609 metre mobile features.

“Bettor Knuckle Up has been racing super as everyone knows and we held him off. We had to do a fair bit of work early to get the front so I was thrilled to be honest. It just shows the difference between 20 metres (handicap from the stand) to starting off the same mark.”

Reports out of the stable this week suggested Merlin was in the right shape to win and that proved the case.

“As soon as that gate goes he’s into race mode. He never over races or undoes himself. That’s a big plus to him.”

Races with a small number of starters can often be tactical and that was true of tonight’s race.

“I wasn’t sure what we were going to do in that first 400. Tony Cameron (Captain Sampson) looked as though he was going to stay (in), and I though he was probably not the worst to follow. As it turned out Sooner The Bettor got to the front.”

Which is when Butcher made his move, spearing Merlin forward to take the lead at the winning post.

“We had to keep running from the start to the 1000 metre mark. We got a little bit of a breather down the back for maybe 300 metres then they all came again and the action was on. 1-52 around Auckland is a pretty good run.”

50 metres out Merlin had Bettor Knuckle Up covered but Butcher still decided to pull the hood.

“Everyone likes to see the hood being pulled before the line to make sure the win was in the bag. When I pulled the hood the ears were pricking and I thought there was a little bit more in the tank. Talking to Barry after, he said ‘don’t worry Zac, there’s plenty of improvement left in this horse’ which fills you with confidence talking to a master like him. (When he) says something like that it gets you pretty excited.”  

MERLIN REPLAY

At the line Merlin had a necks advantage over Bettor Knuckle Up with four and a quarter lengths back to Sooner The Bettor.

The win was the six year old stallion’s first since he won the Cambridge Pacers Flying Stakes at Cambridge in early January and he looks on target for the big dance.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink