Racing: High expectations for debut at park after Queensland flood disaster

Those racehorses must have trod water for at least seven hours ... Murray Sullivan

It is not often anybody feels sorry for a billionaire.

But after what Australia's mega-rich Clive Palmer had to endure last week, nobody could begrudge him victory with My High Expectations at Alexandra Park tonight.

The American-bred trotter makes his New Zealand debut in race six tonight for the harness racing-mad Palmer, Australia's fifth-richest man.

Palmer, who also owns the Gold Coast soccer team, has spent millions on harness horses in the past five years but his private stables turned into a horror show during the Queensland floods last week.

Rising waters trapped his trainer Murray Sullivan and two staff on the roof of the stables, where they had to fight off snakes also looking for refuge.

Eventually Palmer had to send his helicopter to rescue the trio.

However, 14 of his horses were not so lucky, drowning in the muddy waters.

Sullivan said it was devastating to listen to the horses thrashing about in the rising water late on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning last week.

"That's something the other two guys and I will never forget," he said.

"All bar one of the 15 yearlings we had died but, amazingly, 16 of the 17 racehorses survived because they were so fit. Those racehorses must have trod water for at least seven hours until the water level subsided enough for them to stand."

The horses Palmer and Sullivan lost were all American-bred and the yearlings were among the most valuable in Australasia. But My High Expectations was safely in the care of new trainer Michelle Wallis by then, having joined her Waiuku stable before Christmas.

Good enough to finish a close second in the Victoria Trotting Derby last season, he has been sent here for increased 4-year-old racing opportunities, culminating in the Harness Jewels in June.

Tonight he makes his New Zealand debut in a race he can win but Wallis has one major concern. "The problem might be the standing start because he hasn't had one for such a long time," she said.

Wallis has trained for Palmer before, handling open class pacer Spirit Of Shark three years ago.

"It must have been terrible what they went through last week and hopefully this horse can do a job for them over here."

Driver Tony Herlihy, who sits on 2992 career wins in New Zealand, looks the one to follow at tonight's rare Thursday meeting. He has top drives in Statesman (race one), Elsa (race four), Kynuna Boo (race eight) and Herbie's Dream (race 10).