Mike Dillon: Cheering to erupt for Golden Silence

Mike Dillon

There were some smart efforts two weeks ago at Te Aroha despite the difficult conditions.

One of the best of them was Golden Silence, who flashed home from an impossible position to finish second.

Golden Silence is talented on all surfaces, but when it's wet he really shines. Te Rapa doesn't get as heavy as the the types of tracks he excels on, but it will be wet enough and the fact Golden Silence will carry the lightest weight in the eighth race today makes him a great each-way prospect. Jason Collett's 2kg claim takes him down to just 52kg. Track specialist Sanjeev (four wins from eight starts here) and topweight Point Guard, with a 3kg claim, are dangers.

Lord Carson (No 2, R1) appeared unable to get a grip on the Te Aroha track referred to above and as a result didn't balanced up until the final 120m. He stormed into third from that point and looks a great prospect today. He has drawn the outside gate, but there is a long run down the back straight from the 1600m start. Crown Of Thorns (No 4) looked good last start finishing second on this track.

Michael Coleman will have done it fairly tough to get down to the 53.5kg for Blackhall (No 9,R2) and he'll be looking to make it a worthwhile exercise. The pair looked unlucky when just beaten on this track last start. It will be a top effort if Double Barrel (No 1) can lump his 58kg and win, but don't count him out. His form has been terrific.

Indikator (No 4, R3) has had limited middle distance exposure, but last winter he finished a close third in the Kiwifruit Cup over ground. That was a nice win of his at 1600m on this track last start and wetter conditions this time will no problem for him - he can manage the deepest footing.. Only a small field, but there are plenty of chances. Stone Garden (No 6), Prized Touch (No 1) and Figure Of Speech (No 2) are among them.

The Waikato Hurdles, Race 4, is a tough punting exercise. One tip is that Kevin Myers gets his horse very fit for the early-season jumping races and he will be looking to take Pasco (No 3) one better than the close second he finished to Yourtheman in this race a year ago. Myers has given Pasco four lead-up races on the flat for this. Yourtheman (No 1) will again be very difficult to head off, despite his 68kg topweight and his stablemate Counter Punch (No 2) is another strong chance. This contest over the big fences promises to be a great sight.

Apprentice allowances start to become even more important as tracks deteriorate towards winter and the 2kg Jason Collett will take off beach-trained Who Knows (No 2, R5) is a major point in his favour. For example, it puts him on the same weight as Veloz (No 4) who beat him just one length on this track last start when he was giving him 3kg. Veloz will be a tough opponent, but the weight differential is enough to suggest Who Knows can swing the result the other way. O'Cartier (No 1) won't know himself with just 55kg on his back. He has had a long campaign , but have a look at his form on paper and you wouldn't think so.

The safe and nifty jumping shown by Mikemendaad (No 1, R6) should be enough to give him Waikato Steeplechase honours. This is hardly a vintage field and he looks the horse on the rise. Asset Stripper (No 8) shows promise at the jumping caper.

Shadowfax (No 2, R7) has had only three starts and is already looking pretty smart. Track conditions don't seem to worry him and going on his close second on the slow track at Te Aroha last start he should be very hard to head off today. Gianfranco (No 3) looked good leaving maidens that same day at Te Aroha.

Justacross (No 2, R9) has won only one race, but a number of her minors placings could have been wins with a touch of luck. She is smart, finishes her races right off and deserves a winning turn after her recent placings. Casey (No 7) had no luck here last time and Harry Tait (No 8) produced a remarkable finish to leave maidens by four lengths.

Singa Lass's (No7, R10) third in stakes company on this track last start was enough to make her the horse to beat in the last. She fought right to the finish and the mare from the in-form Baker stable has possibly improved with that run. Finale (No 6) had no luck at Hastings two starts back and got a bit far off them when second last time out. John Gray's (No 4) last-to-first Te Aroha win makes him another chance in a very tough race.