If there is ever a Melbourne Cup for standardbreds, then expect to see Ryal Bush pacer Acolyte there.
The conditions of the famous race would suit the Hamish Hunter trained 7yr-old perfectly. He relishes staying tests on grass tracks and that was evident when the horse and his trainer-driver won Saturday’s feature 3000m pace at Oamaru.
The victory was a carbon copy of the pair’s free-wheeling win when leading most of the way to win the 3000m Waimate Cup on the Oamaru grass track in March.
Fast front-running tactics run the speed out of Acolyte’s opposition and play to the horse’s biggest strength — his tenacity.
"He would almost die out on the track for me," Hamish Hunter said.
"He almost tries too hard."
Naturally, Hunter will aim the horse at whatever grass-racing opportunities he can get in the lower South Island.
The horse would be even harder for his rivals to catch if those tracks became affected by rain, he said.
But before then, Acolyte will attempt to defend his Gore Cup title on December 27.
Another southern feature is on the programme of Black Regal Princess, driven to success by Dexter Dunn.
The horse was one of two who lined up and won for Woodend Beach trainer Regan Todd. Major Four, like Black Regal Princess, won a heat of the Brothers In Arms series, in his case with northern driver Sailesh Abernethy.
Black Regal Princess would be aimed at heats of the Southern Belle Speed series in Southland, Todd said.
The horse’s racing career will come to an end soon after that as she is in foal to Auckland Reactor.
