Trainer John Dickie has seen something this week he hadn’t in a long time from his exciting pacer Old Town Road.
He ran past another horse.
It may have only been a Pukekohe workout and the horse Old Town Road ran past, Kango, may have fought back to beat him but for Dickie the intent of his stable star’s sprint was a crucial pointer to his chances at Alexandra Park over the next eight days.
Old Town Road was opened the TAB’s $2.70 favourite for tomorrow night’s $45,000 Roy Purdon Memorial in which he gets a 10m start from Self Assured and Akuta, potentially crucial over the 2200m spring trip.
Old Town Road comes into the race fresh after his last-start second to Copy That in The Race by Grins five weeks ago, a slight injury sustained in the float on the way home from that race setting him back.