Champion driver Maurice McKendry described Hughie Green’s return to harness racing at Alexandra Park last night as “perfect.”
But while the Magic Man might have been happy with the nail-biting win remarkably plenty of punters weren’t after one of the strangest betting drifts in recent New Zealand pacing memory.
Hughie Green opened the $2.80 favourite last Thursday night for the $20,000 Spring Cup, which even then seemed overs considering this was the horse who pushed Have Faith In Me so close in last season’s Auckland Cup, beating home the likes of Smolda, Ohoka Punter and Tiger Tara.
But things got really strange in the hour before the race, with Hughie Green drifting wildly to start $4.10 on the tote, with Start Dreaming shortening into the clear favourite.
The latter had no luck so her run is best forgotten but the fact a horse who could rightly claim to be the North Island’s best pacer didn’t start favourite, especially after a sizzling last 400m when winning at the workouts the Saturday before, is an inexplicable punting oddity.
The punters who did stay strong had a nervous few moments at the top of the straight as Hughie Green, who began brilliantly before trailing No Doctor Needed, lost momentum up the passing lane at the same moment the greatly-improved The Faithful shot clear.
But it was a sign of his class that the big fella was able to gather himself up and make up two lengths in the last 200m, even with the final 400m in 26.9 seconds.
“It was a bit touch and go there but he sprinted well,” said McKendry.
“And that was a perfect return. His manners were good, he didn’t have a hard run but he still go the win.”
Hughie Green wouldn’t be out of place in the New Zealand Cup but trainer Brian Hughes told HRNZ not only will he not head to the great race but that Cup week has been ruled out all together.
So he can expect a solid diet of Alexandra Park racing aimed at the Auckland Cup on a December 31.
No Doctor Needed was a close up third and remains on track to be the sole northerner in the Cup.
It was a good night for Hughes’s small racing team as Neighlor recorded an impressive win earlier for McKendry.
The three-year-old made up for a luckless performance in the first Sires’ Stakes heat at Cambridge, where he was trapped three wide, with a last stride win and will likely head to the second northern heat of that series.
One horse who was already heading south to chase further riches but only sweetened that trip was Realmein, who overcame a 40m handicap to win Friday’s main trot.
He bolted home in his best performance for at least a couple of years, trotting 3:27.1 for the 2700m standing start after never being on the marker pegs.
The eight-year-old son of Real Desire looks back to his best and will head south for the elite trots over the next six weeks.
Michael Guerin