Racing: Monkey King in double double

Ricky May drives Monkey King to victory in the NZ Free-For-All at Addington yesterday. Photo / Simon Baker

The renaissance of the granddads of pacing continued at Addington yesterday when Monkey King completed the double-double in the $200,000 Free-For-All.

The wonder pony led throughout to win the 2000m group one event, defending the title he won in sensational style last season.

That makes him the first horse to complete the double-double of the New Zealand Cup and Free-For-All two years in a row.

It further extends his record as the richest standardbred in New Zealand history, with more than $3.4 million in earnings but also caps another unheralded trend in our pacing ranks.

A decade ago it looked like pacing was moving the way of galloping, with the best young horses, because of refined bloodlines and improved nutrition and racing opportunities outshining their older rivals, who struggled to keep up.

Horses like Il Vicolo, Christian Cullen, Elsu and Mainland Banner were able to dominate open class races as four-year-olds and the old boys looked to be an endangered species.

But the oldies have hit back.

Monkey King is an eight-year-old, yesterday's runner-up Bondy is a nine-year-old and third and fourth-placed Smoken Up and Power Of Tara are also eight.

And they put young guns like Smiling Shard, Stunin Cullen and Sleepy Tripp to the sword.

Yes, you could put that down to barrier draws and the way the race was run, but it has now become a trend.

Monkey King had his career-best season as a seven-year-old, his then eight-year-old stablemate Baileys Dream was superb last season and a few years before that Flashing Red won the New Zealand Cup as a nine- and a 10-year-old.

Add in Blacks A Fake winning his fourth Interdominion title in Sydney this year as a nine-year-old and the resurgence of Mr Feelgood this year as an eight-year-old and pacing has become the domain of the hard old men.

The exact reasons for the oldies becoming so fashionable on the winner's list of our best races is hard to pinpoint but it could be contributed to the softening of our breed as new speed stallions have come in and left speedsters who struggle with the rigours of open class racing.

After all, it is hard to dismiss as coincidence that the old boys are sired by the likes of Sands A Flyin, Live Or Die, Fake Left and Tinted Cloud rather then the glamour stallions who dominate the yearling sales.

Many of the pacing granddads will clash in Sydney in the Miracle Mile two weeks today, with Monkey King set to defend his title again there.

"That is the next target but first we are going to enjoy tonight because it has been an awesome week," said Monkey King's trainer Brendon Hill.

He admitted he was more nervous going into yesterday's race than Tuesday's New Zealand Cup as the pressure went back on Monkey King after his Cup win.

"I was sweating a bit before the race, especially up against the young guns like Smiling Shard but he just keeps on giving.

"He has such a big heart."

The race itself was won on reputation as much as heart as Bondy blasted straight to the lead and handed up to Monkey King, who was then allowed away with an easy middle sectional.

"I knew I had them in trouble then but while he won easily you still have to be a great horse to back up after the Cup and beat them again," said driver Ricky May.

While it is hard to look for bad luck stories when Monkey King was so magnificent, Sleepy Tripp looked to be bolting when he ran out of room at the 150m mark, confirming he is on the verge of winning a major race this summer.

* Australia's sole female racecaller will add extra femininity to Rosehill's Girls Day Out when she becomes the first woman to call at a TAB meeting.

Victoria Shaw has been invited by the Sydney Turf Club to call today's second race, the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Party Handicap (1500m).

Shaw made her Sydney debut at Rosehill this year calling the picnic races on Melbourne Cup Day.

She will now make history as the first woman in Australia to call on-course at a TAB event.

- additional reporting: AAP