By MICHAEL GUERIN
Don't be put off Lord Kennington at Alexandra Park tonight simply because he has not raced for over three months - his trainer Peter Blanchard isn't.
Blanchard has been having a magical run this season, his best since his premiership winning days of 1990.
A succession of short priced favourites winning at Alexandra Park after being purchased from the South Island have lifted Blanchard to the top of the national trainers' UDR rating system, with 17 winners from 58 starters, giving him a UDR of .4042. In a nutshell, any trainer with a rating over .3000 is having a very good season.
Blanchard has picked a tough race for stable star Lord Kennington to resume in, but he will capture the interest of most punters chasing the $100,000 Pick Six as his latest outings were against our best 4-year-olds in the Taylor Mile and Messenger.
"I know he is fresh up but he does race well that way," explains the Pukekohe trainer.
"He has had two workouts and won his second at Pukekohe last Saturday, albeit against weakish opposition, but I think he is ready."
Those two recent workouts did however fail to convince Blanchard Lord Kennington is certain to step quickly from tonight's standing start.
"He stepped way well in the first workout but he was back from the tape. In the second he looked a little scared of the tape so that may be a little concern.
"But in saying that he is a good horse."
Blanchard describes Lord Kennington as an each way hope but goes straight for the jugular when rating the chances of his latest southern import, Waterford Wings, in the last leg of Pick Six.
"Just put the money on and go to the back of the tote. He should win," said Blanchard.
Waterford Wings had a big reputation in the South Island before coming north and while he initially had steering problems right-handed they have been fixed.
"Maurice [McKendry] deliberately put him in some positions at the workouts last Saturday which would test whether he was handling the right-handed track and he came through with flying colours."
Blanchard rates Waterford Wings at least as good a maiden prospect as stablemate Titan Crestlea, who has scored back to back five length wins at Alexandra Park in the last month, since coming north.
Blanchard's small stable will also be represented by Smart Line in race nine and Scnackenberg in race eight.
"Smart Line will need some luck from the draw but he is a nice horse who will win races at Alexandra Park sooner rather than later.
"But I think Scnackenberg is up against it a bit in a field of that class fresh up."
If Lord Kennington's lack of recent racing tells in the night's pacing feature there are plenty of talented opponents to take advantage.
Stunning last-start winners The Last Boy Scout And Parisian Falcon both look capable of repeating while All My Glory will be better suited by the 2700m tonight than his latest sprint assignment.
And punters should not disregard an expensive failure so far this season in Falcon's Blue Jean. He is finally returning to his best after numerous problems for the Mark Purdon stable and could represent good each way value in a very open field.
The race also heralds the return of the classy Montreal, who looked special before suffering a setback earlier this season.
"I think he is forward enough to run in the money but that would be a hard race to win fresh-up," said his trainer-driver Richard Brosnan.
The Auckland Trotting Club has put together an interesting challenge for those punters chasing tonight's $100,000 but with Blanchard's confidence suggesting Waterford Wings may be an anchor, going wide in the early legs could be the wise move.
While the first two legs look hard the scratching of Keepers Comet in the third leg has opened the way for Harriet Tubman and southerner Maltese Falcon to dominate. And while the fourth leg will be hard work for the backmarkers because of the big field, Kipper Dee deserves inclusion because of his manners.
Racing: Blanchard labels Pick Six anchor
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