Rain music to Negus's ears

Quick As A Trick's trainer, Bruce Negus, keeps the gelding calm in the winner's circle after his...
Trainer, Bruce Negus. Photo by Matt Smith.
Let it rain, let it rain, let it reign.

As rain fell on the Waikouaiti racecourse this week it put a dampener on the Waikouaiti Trotting Club's annual two-day meeting.

But it had the opposite effect on the chances of the Bruce Negus-trained pacer, Highland Reign.

The horse has a liking for grass-track racing, especially when those tracks are rain-affected.

When she lines up in race 12 tomorrow, the track should be at its most testing, exactly to the horse's liking

Highland Reign's winning claims do not just hang on a wet racing surface. She drops markedly in grade after competing against some of New Zealand's best mares in the New Zealand Standardbred Breeders' Stakes at Addington in her last start.

Highland Reign should be immensely hard to beat.

``She is especially good on wet grass tracks.

She had her chance at Addington but she did go under 3.10 for 2600m which is an indication of how she is going.''

Highland Reign will be driven by Sarah O'Reilly, who could well drive her first winner for Negus, who employs her at his Burnham stable.

Negus scored four wins at the corresponding meeting last year on his former home track. It will be tough to repeat that feat with just six runners this year, but there are serious winning hopes among his team.

Sundons Flyer lines up in
the feature trot (1800m, ffa)
after a handy third at Oamaru last weekend in her first run since December.

``She left behind some well-credentialled horses after giving them all a start.''

Sundons Flyer ``should be a first-three player'' going 1800m on a soft, testing grass track, he said.

Negus hopes Pembrook Blue can deliver a special win in race 3, an 1800m mobile.

The horse is raced by the estate of the trainer's late father, Bob Negus, and races in his colours. A memorial race will be named in his honour on the second day of the meeting, on Monday.

Pembrook Blue was ``disappointing at Methven but he was out three wide and nothing came from the back that day'', Negus said.

``He went really good at Orari when he got second to Doc Seelster and he then went sensational at Gore. I almost think he is my best winning chance, even though nothing on paper would say that.''

Negus also has Loissonya, who he rates a serious place hope, in race 10 and Pat Campbell in race 1.


 

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