Racing: Messini has perfect draw

Messini will carry the flag for Australia at Alexandra Park on Friday night. Photo / Stuart McCormick

Returning pacer Messini has had his second win of the week even before contesting Friday night's $100,000 Taylor Mile.

It will also mean another first for World Champion reinsman Dexter Dunn.

Messini, formerly trained by Mark Purdon but now one of the better 4-year-olds in Australia under the care of Brent Lilley, has won the Australian invitation for his division of the Harness Jewels.

That means regardless of how he fares in the Mile this Friday or the Messenger the following week, Messini is guaranteed to be the Australian rep at Ashburton on May 30, joining Australian juvenile pacer Salty Robyn, who was invited last week.

Harness Racing New Zealand aims to invite an Australian-trained horse to all nine Jewels races, with securing four or five thought to be a good haul considering how congested the Australian age group calendar is at that time of the season.

Messini's invitation was the second piece of good news for Lilley this week after the 4-year-old drew the ace in a star-studded Taylor Mile.

The invitation means he will be the first horse to carry the green and gold Jewels Australian colours, with Dunn to get the honour as his driver.

"We are thrilled with the invite and the owners are chuffed he will be the first horse to wear the Aussie colours made for the Jewels," said Lilley.

"We wanted to go to the Jewels and because he raced so well at the Cup carnival he already had some qualifying dollars but this takes the pressure off."

Messini raced in the Jewels last season, went to Australia where he won the Vicbred final, then returned to New Zealand and paced a national 2600m mobile record winning on New Zealand Cup Day.

He adds open-class depth to the Taylor Mile, which will prove a nightmare for the bookies when they open their market tomorrow.

They have to weigh up the talent of Dalton Bromac with his poor draw, the last-start failure of Ohoka Punter at Addington and the fitness of Sky Major, who hasn't raced since winning the Chariots Of Fire six weeks ago and then becoming sick. Sky Major looked well but still in need of racing when second to race rival Mossdale Conner at the Alexandra Park workouts on Saturday.

Add in Isaiah and Border Control, as well as two-time group one winner Tiger Tara, and the Taylor Mile rates as one of the best betting races at Alexandra Park this season.

It will be the highlight of a stunning card, which sees Stent looking for another group one in a hot Anzac Cup field, one of five trot races on the programme, almost unheard of at Alexandra Park.

The best juvenile pacing fillies contest the group one Caduceus Club Classic, while the 3-year-old trotters clash at group two level in the Sires' Stakes Final.

Meanwhile, Addington hosts a rare Wednesday night meeting tonight with all races named to honour retiring local hero Terror To Love.

The meeting will have a $40,000 guaranteed terminating quaddie.

Smolda returns to Australian racing tomorrow night, when he contests the A$51,000 Renshaw Cup at Penrith.

Remarkably, his three-time Derby runner-up stablemate Follow The Stars, who is assessed as an open-class pacer in New Zealand, will contest a weak class-one race at Penrith.