One of the bug bears with harness racing in New Zealand at the moment is small fields in some of our group races.
The small field of six for Friday nights Flying Stakes for the three year olds is a good example of how some races are struggling to attract a full field of runners and today that field just got smaller with the defection of the very talented Kept Under Wraps.
The Australian bred son of Bettors Delight has been a great earner in his short career to date, banking over $150,000 with his second to Follow The Stars in last seasons two year Australasian Breeders Crown final his best performance to date.
Second in the Derby prelude in Auckland to Follow The Stars, Kept Under Wraps was not himself in the Great Northern Derby, over racing badly throughout the event which is something he has never done before.
Now he has had to be put on the back burner for about three weeks after a minor quarter injury put him out of the Flying Stakes and New Zealand Derby contention on Wednesday.
"He has had a little problem with it but then aggravated the injury when we worked him this morning."
"You can carry on working them but I find that they are more than likely going to open it up again in fast work."
"It would probably be two to three weeks before we do serious work with him again," Mark Purdon said.
With the withdrawal of Kept Under Wraps, the Flying Stakes field is down to just five runners which must be really disappointing for the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club with the Derby so close.
Harnesslink Media