The first of the classics for the two year old trotters this season is the $25,000 New Zealand Two Year old Trotting Stakes which was run at the harness racing meeting at Addington Raceway tonight.
The unbeaten Love You colt Habibi Inta from the Paul Nairn barn looked the horse to beat after two effortless wins in his leadup races even though he had drawn a bit wide at barrier seven.
Enghien was expected to test the favourite after a bold second to him at Methven while Miracle Rising and Di'z Luck were others to have shown up on raceday.
Habibi Inta came out trucking for Blair Orange from barrier seven and grabbed the lead from Custodian and David Butt.
At this point Enghien and Ricky May went for a gallop, losing all chance.
Habibi Inta kept up a solid tempo in front with Miracle Rising in the death and her stablemate Di'z Luck in the one by one.
With the good tempo up front there was no mid race moves and on the last corner Habibi Inta looking to be travelling the best.
The only danger appeared to be Custodian in the trail who slowly closed the gap on Habibi Inta the whole way up the straight but was still a nose in arrears at the finish.
The two did get close in the last 50 metres and the siren went post race but the protest was not progressed with.
Di'z Luck finished on well for third in front of her stablemate Miracle Rising.
Habibi Inta ran the 1950 metres in 2:30.3, a mile rate of 2:04 with closing sectionals of 59.3 and 29.4
Before tonight Habibi Inta looked a class above above his rivals on the two year old trotters scene but Custodian showed tonight that the gap is not as big as some thought and that should make the upcoming races amongst the juveniles really worth waiting for.
Harnesslink Media