Racing: Dalgety hopes to benefit from 'carnage'

Smiling Shard is New Zealand's best chance on Friday. Photo / Richard Robinson

The trainer of New Zealand's best Interdominion pacing chance says we have a key ally in our battle against the rampant Australians come Friday night - the Australians themselves.

While the transtasman raiders monopolise betting on the $800,000 Alexandra Park classic, Smiling Shard's trainer Cran Dalgety says our only hope is that they beat each other up.

"Aussies being Aussies, they will all be after the same thing and all we can hope for is to benefit from the carnage," says Dalgety.

"If they all go looking for the lead or the spot outside the leader then things could get pretty heated and that might bring a few of us into the race.

"But that is a big might. Still, it looks about the only chance we have."

Dalgety still shakes his head when thinking Smiling Shard, who was the best of the New Zealand pacers in the heats, and is now our leading chance of winning the Interdominion, even though his realistic odds are about 20-1.

Six months ago he would have been well down the pecking list behind Monkey King, Stunin Cullen, Sleepy Tripp, De Lovely and a few others.

After all, Smiling Shard is still only a 4-year-old, with the Kaikoura Cup his biggest open class win.

"He is only a baby and to be honest this season I have treated him like a 4-year-old who gets to dip his toes in the big time occasionally.

"But he keeps rising to the occasion. Like last Friday in his heat, he needed to step up and he did."

That has been the story of Smiling Shard's remarkable career, which the wheels have looked set to fall off right from the start.

"I bought him as a little pony hoping to chase the Young Guns series as a 2-year-old and then see what we had left afterwards."

Two years later, Smiling Shard is only a few centimetres taller but is only $1018 short of becoming our latest pacing millionaire.

"We know we aren't going to intimidate them with size but he keeps delivering," said Dalgety.

"And for us it isn't just about this Friday. When I see how old the big names are on Friday night I am hoping we can still be doing what they are doing in three or four years'."

Smiling Shard has barrier six on Friday night, putting him in no-man's land at the start, with no chance leading and wonder driver Dexter Dunn having to look for cover in a race where gaps will be hard to come by.

"It won't be easy, and maybe he isn't ready to beat these horses but he is fit and well and we have our chance."

Smiling Shard and Monkey King are the first Kiwis in the market, around $14 to $18 depending where you look.

The favourite remains Themightyquinn, who tightened from $3.50 to $3.20 with the NZ TAB yesterday, pushing Smoken Up out from $3.80 to $4.50.

But the markets Australasian wide continue to throw up gaping differences: Blacks A Fake is rated a $4 chance in New Zealand but was as long as a staggering $7 with one Australian bookmaker last night.

Dalgety says Smoken Up is the horse to beat. "He is racing so well I think Lance [Justice] has to go forward and have a real go for the lead. And if he gets there I think he'll win.

"We all know Themightyquinn is the fastest horse in the race but he might have to be driven different this week."

Let Me Thru remains the $2.20 favourite for the Trotting Final.