Ray: Preferential draw for top fillies makes it tough for everyone else in Golden Gait series

A condition that gives fillies a big advantage in the age group races on Golden Gait finals night at Auckland threatens to stifle betting on two races and virtually eliminate the chances of the very horses it was designed to help.

The Auckland Trotting Club’s new series was introduced as a loyalty programme to attract more starters and reward its regular attenders with a big end of season carrot, starting points accumulated to qualify for 10 races of $100,000 each, right down to the lowest of grades.

But Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green says most horses in the three-year-old and two-year-old pacing races on Friday night have virtually no chance of winning with fillies like Duchess Megxit and Youretheonethatiwant standing way above their rivals in the ratings, yet drawing inside them.

Unlike the other races, the preferential barrier draw specified places fillies inside colts and geldings, before their rating and earnings are considered. And that has led to the crazy situation of Duchess Megxit, a rating 90 pacer, starting from three with those in the 40s and 50s outside and behind her.

Similarly, but to a lesser extent, in the two-year-old race Youretheonethatiwant ($2.20), who is rated R61 after winning four of her eight races, gets gate three with far lesser rated horses drawn worse.

For Green, who has Frisco Bay (R51) in the three-year-old race and Lincoln Lou (R44) and Sugar Ray Lincoln (R53) in the two-year-old event, he says they have virtually been consigned to also-rans.

“It’s destroyed the three-year-old race. You wouldn’t back Duchess Megxit because she’s too short at $1.65 but you couldn’t bet against her either.

“Hopefully the club will learn from this and change it if they run the series again next year.”

Green is not advocating eliminating top end performers like Duchess Megxit from the series, but he believes if they are included they should get the worst of the barriers, not the best, the accepted means of handicapping.

Others might go further and propose imposing a lid on eligibility, removing say Group race winners, cementing the series as the only chance for the battlers to race for serious money.

But while Duchess Megxit is the leading three-year-old money earner with $387,482, and rates as the third best performing pacer in New Zealand this season behind only Merlin and Swayzee, her nine wins, including three at Group I level, have come since the Golden Gait concept was launched in January when she was rated only R54.

Similarly, Youretheonethatiwant didn’t start her winning streak until March, and did not win her Group II Delightful Lady Young Guns Final until April.

There’s certainly no argument that the Golden Gait philosophy has worked with the older brigade, the R35 to R46 pace and R38 to R47 trot especially set to reward the connections of two battlers once-in-a-lifetime collects of $50,000.

Under the series conditions, horses placed fifth or worse get a starter’s fee of $2500, HRNZ laying out the standard premier meeting stake of $25,000 per race and the embattled ATC somehow finding the other $75,000, or $750,000 for the entire meeting.

Whether or not that has been money well spent can only be judged when figures are released but there has been little sign of the hoped-for influx of South Island horses.

Frisco Bay … needs to relax and get a suck-along to show his best. PHOTO: Megan Liefting/Race Images.Green finds it hard to see Frisco Bay getting much more than $2500 in the three-year-old race.

“He obviously can’t beat Duchess Megxit or Jeremiah, but if he gets a good trip he’s a chance of getting some money.

“Things didn’t suit him last time - being out three wide then going to the front. He’s so hot, he over-races.

“He goes best if he’s allowed to slop out and find the back of something, when he generally relaxes. Even if he got back a bit, that would be all right, so long as he gets sucked along.”

Green says Lincoln Lou, from two the second row in the two-year-old race, will be relying on a heap of good luck.

“His last run was a non-event. The poor little bugger couldn’t have done a better job of finding trouble.

“He’s trained on all right but Sugar Ray Lincoln is our best chance. He’s training really well and he showed last time what a big motor he had, losing all that ground early and still getting up to win.

“He could sit parked and still run on but he won’t get a run like that from the second row on Friday.

“He’s not famous for his gate speed but as long as he gets away safely then Maurice can put him in the race at the right time.

“There are a lot of horses in there that aren’t that safe who could stand on their ear. Navigating through them is always a worry. He’ll need some luck but he could give them a fright.”