Racing: Time to evaluate Smith's form

Dexter Dunn has a very firm grip on this season's drivers' premiership. Photo by Matt Smith.
Dexter Dunn has a very firm grip on this season's drivers' premiership. Photo by Matt Smith.
Matthew Cameron is nearing 150 wins for the season. Photo by Trish Dunell.
Matthew Cameron is nearing 150 wins for the season. Photo by Trish Dunell.

At the start of every season, Matt Smith has an educated guess - and in some cases a wild stab - at what might happen over the next 12 months of horse racing. With just a few weeks to go, he decided it was timely to see how he went and whether he's a soothsayer or simply a regular battler.

 

HOT FAVOURITES

Dexter Dunn will win the harness drivers' premiership by about 74 wins: No prizes for guessing that one. The margin was slightly underestimated - he's 104 wins in front for now. Half a point.

The Purdon/Rasmussen team will prepare at least 13 2yr-old winners this season: They hit 13 in March, and have since added another 19 wins by juveniles - and that's not including the wins in Australia. Full tick.

Matthew Cameron and Rory Hutchings will both reach 100 wins: Combined, they have more than 200 wins - does that count? Cameron is on 146, but I hadn't counted on Hutchings (75) heading over to Australia. No marks for this.

Kevin Myers will be in the top three of the premiership: Too right - he's sitting in third and seven wins ahead of the Rogersons. And, as promised, we're none the wiser as to his training methods. Yep.

 

EACH-WAY PUNTS

The Diamond One will place in a group 1 race this season: A wide draw made the mare's journey in the NZ Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes too tough. She won two group 3 races, but that's not what I predicted. So no result here.

Jonny Cox and Amber Hoffman will get within three wins of Phil Williamson in the Otago harness trainers' premiership: Cox and Hoffman going their separate ways in March put paid to that. Williamson is on 33 wins and Hoffman has seven solo wins and 15 in combination with Cox. Fail.

Donna and Dean Logan will win at least six races in one race meeting at Ruakaka: Sadly, Dean Logan lost his battle with cancer earlier this year. Donna ruled the roost at Ruakaka last month, grabbing quartets at the June 13 and June 27 meetings. Not quite.

Dream Collector will win a feature race in the greyhound calendar: Injury robbed him of much of the year, and placings in the group 1 Waterloo Cup and the New Zealand Cup were as close as he got. Maybe next season?

Themightyquinn wouldn't make it to the 2014 New Zealand Cup: I was always fairly confident on this one. He's even come back out of retirement and gone back in again in the last few weeks. Full marks.

Brown Panther will return to the Melbourne Cup and finish better than his eighth in 2013: Connections decided not to come, so no chance of that.

Raise A Flag will have a starter in the New Zealand Derby: Maybe a year early for his progeny. Let's double up on next season's Derby. No points.

 

BIG ODDS

The Diamond One will won a group 1 and place in another: See above. No dice.

An Otago-trained trotter will run a placing in the Dominion: Jaccka Justy didn't just do that - he went on to win the whole darn thing at odds of $28. Administering a self-pat to my back as I type.

I won't need my jacket and gumboots at all at race meetings in December and January: Unbelievably, this one came in at any old money. Claiming this one.

New Zealand-bred gallopers will run the Cox Plate quinella: Best we managed was third with Silent Achiever. No return.

A group 1 winner will be the star attraction at Forbury Park before next winter: Admittedly I had some inside knowledge, as Peter Gillespie was working hard for many months to get Terror To Love down here after his retirement. I suppose we could throw in Venus Serena too, after she came down for the Forbury 4&5yr-old championship. - Next season's predictions will be printed early next month.

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