Tony Herlihy has been engaged to drive Saratoga in the $9000 race for 2yr-old trotters at Methven on Sunday when he is driving on that track for the first time.
Herlihy is the most successful reinsman in the history of harness racing in New Zealand with 3089 wins, the first on Gymea Gold at Cambridge in 1978. He has driven on most New Zealand tracks.
Saratoga was a last-start winner at Alexandra Park on February 28 at his second start. The Muscles Yankee-City Lane gelding is trained by Mark Purdon and Grant Payne. City Lane (by Lindy Lane) won seven races as a trotter in Australia. Saratoga is raced by Victoria breeder Bill Feiss and Purdon.
The stable also has Paramount Queen in the 2yr-old trotters' race at Methven. Paramount Queen won at Addington last Friday at her second start. She is a filly by Love You-Paramount Star raced on lease by Studholme Blood-stock, operated by Brian West.
Love You is a leading sire in France where he took a mile record of 1.52.5. Paramount Queen is a half-sister to Paramount Geegee (by Pegasus Spur), the top 3yr-old trotter last season and winner of 16 of his 25 starts.
Not Likely, the winner of four of her five starts, is a rival for Escapee in the New Zealand Trotting Oaks at Addington on Friday night.
Not Likely, who has won at Alexandra Park (three) and Cambridge, is trained at Pukekohe by part-owner Andrew Grant.
The Purdon-Payne-trained Escapee took her record to five wins from nine starts when she downed a field of 3yr-olds at Addington last Friday.
Vi Et Animo, the winner of 17 races, has been transferred to the Menangle stable of David Thorn.
Vi Et Amino won the Methven Cup in October when trained by Purdon and Payne.
The Pacific Rocket gelding won 15 races including the 2010 Invercargill Cup, 2011 Wyndham Cup and Four and Five-Year-Old Championship at Forbury Park from the Invercargill stable of Gil Shirley. Vi Et Animo had a win at Alexandra Park in 2010 when trained by Todd Mitchell.
Vi Et Animo has raced 61 times and amassed $247,202 in stakes for Myross Bush owners Wayne and Alison McCulloch.
A hearing into the positive test to arsenic returned by Raglan at Menangle on November 26 has been adjourned for a month, Anthony Butt said last night.
His brother Tim, the trainer of Raglan, attended the hearing in Sydney yesterday.
