Racing: Young guns sensational at park

NZ Herald·

31 Dec, 2015 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Tim Williams drives Have Faith In Me (centre, 13) to victory in the $250,000 Auckland Cup. Photo / Dean Purcell

Welcome to the age of the four-year-old freaks.

They are the new kings of New Zealand harness racing as Have Faith In Me and Monbet demonstrated different types of brilliance to win two of our greatest races at Alexandra Park last night.

That alone would have been rare enough, four-year-olds capturing two serious group one open class races this early in the season but the young guns added the quinellas for good measure, Hughie Green pushing Have Faith In Me right to the line in the $250,000 Auckland Cup while Speeding Spur chased home Monbet in the $80,000 National Trot.

The two quinellas ushered in a new era in New Zealand harness racing and suggests some mouth-watering clashes in the seasons ahead, including at the Jewels at Cambridge later this term.

Monbet started the four-year-old fervour by destroying his older rivals in the trot, wresting the lead from Stent in the middle stages and cruising clear before Speeding Spur dived into second.

It continued a four-win streak at the highest level for Monbet and he and Speeding Spur now look to have usurped the established trotting stars.

Australia now beckons both trotters and Monbet looks to have the motor and stride to be an all-time great, with Speeding Spur certain to be fitter and more dangerous next time they meet.

As wonderful as Monbet was though, Have Faith In Me narrowly stole the show by overcoming starting from the unruly to win the Cup, thanks to a perfect drive from Tim Williams.

Williams was only in the sulky for the biggest race of his career after winning an appeal against the severity of a suspension handed down three weeks ago, the appeal tribunal shaving one day off his sentence.

That was enough to put him in the hot seat last night and then he managed to step Have Faith In Me safely away from the standing start and latch on to the back of the field.

He moved mid-race, secured the one-one but still needed every centimetre of the home straight to wear down the brave leader Hughie Green, who was punched to the lead early by Maurice McKendry, with Smolda a head away in third.

The win means Have Faith In Me has already gone one better than his champion older sister Adore Me, who finished second in the last two Auckland Cups, including one earlier in 2015.

While Adore Me added a New Zealand Cup and 1:47.7 mile to be rated one of our best pacers ever, Have Faith In Me has the motor to maybe equal that or even exceed her record considering as a gelding he has no breeding future and therefore could have a lengthy racing career ahead. Last night was only his 18th start for 10 wins and he is unbeaten in five group ones.

His next big challenge is likely to be the A$200,000 Chariots of Fire in Sydney on February 13, where he could meet Hughie Green again, with more clashes between the superstar pair likely at Alexandra Park in May and the Jewels.

His win capped a remarkable calendar year for trainers Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen, whose array of group winners in 2015 may never be matched.