By Andrew Adermann
Aurora will be looking to make it a clean sweep of the 3YO Trotting Springboard Series in tonight’s Final at Albion Park.
The Series - which comprised of four heats in the lead up to the Final - has been dominated by the Terry Hancock-trained filly, and a victory in the $10,000 finale would be a fitting reward in the inaugural three-year-old competition.
“She’s done everything well since the last heat and she’s on track, it’s just been her manners have helped a lot and they’ve helped really get her through better than we thought they would to be honest,” Hancock said.
“If she gets away good enough, we’ll try to go to the lead but the others are starting to get away well as well.
“I just leave it all up to Narissa, once I put her on then she’s in charge but it would be really great to win the series after winning all of the heats – the horse deserves it.”
The three-year-old has won six of her nine career starts and looks to be the clear favourite in the field, however, Hancock is weary of several runners in the field.
“I see the main danger as Indefensible but the one that I think is the best of them is Jack Butler’s horse (Miss Maia) but she just does a lot wrong,” Hancock said.
“If she could put it all together then it would be really hard to beat.”
Indefensible is looking to claim the Springboard Series double after winning 2YO race last year, and husband and wife duo Gavin and Kay Crone are confident their gelding can repeat the dose tonight.
“I think he’s the best horse in the race but it all depends how the race is run,” Gavin Crone said.
“I’ve got no doubt we can beat Aurora but we just have to see how it pans out early and get a bit of luck.
“He usually gets away well but he’s been a bit naughty this year, but the ideal scenario is to go to the front.
“We think Aurora struggles with the distance a bit so if it gets to the front and walks we’ll be in a bit of trouble, but there’s not much between them at all.”
Team Krone will be chasing another slice of history this evening, aiming to go back-to-back in the 2YO Series following last year’s triumph.
Defensive Guy – a full brother to Indefensible – will fly the Crone flag in the last event of the evening and comes into the race on the back of winning the final heat of the series.
“Winning any of these feature races with the trotters is always a good feeling for us because we do a lot of work with them, so to win back-to-back with the brother would be amazing,” Crone said.
“He goes alright our little two-year-old, he’s improved every week and I wouldn’t say he’s out of it either.
“He won the most recent heat of the series so I’ve got no doubt that will hold him in good stead going into tonight, he’s usually pretty safe and reliable – he’s really come along leaps and bounds.
“If he gets to the front then we won’t be waiting for them - put it that way, but the ideal scenario would be to roll to the front.”
This year’s 2YO Final is a wide-open affair with three different horses winning the three heats on offer, and Crone wouldn’t be surprised if any one of the field took out the crown.
“Grant’s horse Okanagan goes pretty good as does Aldebaran Selena, but they all go nice and they’re all pretty competitive this bunch of two-year-olds,” Crone said.
“It all depends on manners at the end of the day, it’s a real lottery – what happens in the first 100 metres will tell the tale, especially with young trotters.”