Racing: Trainer pulls De Lovely out of Interdoms

De Lovely will be a notable absentee at Alexandra Park. Photo / Greg Bowker

Glamour mare De Lovely is out of the Interdominions. That was the shock news when the final rankings for the Interdominions, now to be held at Alexandra Park on Friday week, were released yesterday.

De Lovely was still in the rankings but trainer Ian Small has confirmed the mare and her stablemate Gomeo Romeo will both miss the series.

"We don't want to be too hard on her this season so she can miss the Inters and we'll think about whether to press on or give her a spell," said Small.

The champion mare, who had no luck in the Auckland Cup, could now miss the Taylor Mile, Messenger and her division of the Jewels, in which she would have been the unbackable favourite. Gomeo Romeo will still contest those races though, but be allowed to miss the Inters.

"He will be set for the 4-year-old races here and at the Jewels," said Small. "He has had a huge summer and there is no need to rush him toward an Interdominion."

With that pair out and doubts over a couple of others, the pacing series will have just two heats with possibly as few as 11 horses in each. But that is not bad news for organisers, the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club, who are running the series from Alexandra Park because of quake damage to Addington and the Christchurch CBD.

Not only does that mean they will save on stake money but the 26 horses in the final rankings represent clearly the best 26 in Australasia.

Only De Lovely will be missing from what anybody would suggest the best 20 horses available are, with the on-again, off-again campaign of Blacks A Fake on again.

The four-time Interdominion champion has had bookies and his fans in a spin, being declared a non-starter in the series twice but then his campaign has been resurrected.

This time it appears the resurrection is for real. Trainer Natalie Rasmussen said the 10-year-old would fly to Auckland on Thursday.

Blacks A Fake was surprisingly beaten in Brisbane 10 days ago and found to have a virus but bounced straight back from that and won at Albion Park on Saturday night.

"His win was good enough for me to ring IRT and booked his flight to Auckland," Rasmussen said. "I buzzed him off the gate and he really began well and, although he had a pretty good run in front, he did it easily."

That will make the task of the locals even tougher, with Auckland Cup quinella mates Themightyquinn and Mr Feelgood to be joined by Blacks A Fake, Smoken Up and Villagem.

The trotting series looks evenly poised between the Kiwi and Australians, although the Chris Lang-trained pair of Le Me Thru and Sundon's Gift will probably head the TAB markets when they are released tomorrow.

The mystery horse is Swedish mate Annicka, who has yet to be seen in public here but has been kept tight in the markets by bookmakers.

The final rankings for the series:

PACERS (in ranking order): Blacks A Fake, Monkey King, Themightyquinn, Mr Feelgood, Smoken Up, Stunin Cullen, Washakie, De Lovely, Smiling Shard, Power Of Tara, Pembrook Benny, Villagem, Sleepy Tripp, Highview Tommy, Auckland Reactor, Nearea Franco, Reklaw's Chance, Captain Joy, Choise Achiever, Raglan, Five Star Anvil, Franco Jamar, Gomeo Romeo, Captain Peacock, Lightning Raider, Kobe Bryant.

TROTTERS: Sundon's Gift, Let Me Thru, Stylish Monarch, Ima Gold Digger, Sovereignty, I Can Doosit, Kyvalley Mac, Springbank Richard, Lets Get Serious, Annicka, Danny Cash, Master Bomber, Ronerail, Lleyton H, Raydon, Dr Hook, Fayanni, Ready Set, Musgrove, Beat The Monarch, Houdini Star, Real Deal Yankee, Mon Star, Vulcan, Great Getaway, La Femme D'Argent.

Still eligible but ranked outside the top 26 guaranteed a start are: Pocaro, Moment Of Truth, Running On Time, Jaccka Jack, Just A Cracker, Motu Young Jacob, Me An Kel.

INTER SHOCK

* De Lovely has been pulled out of the Interdominions.

* But four-time champion Blacks A Fake could still be in Auckland for the series, which starts in 10 days.

* The Aussies will dominate the markets when they re-open tomorrow.