Friday night at Addington is shaping up to be one of the standout nights of the season, with two Group 1 features headlining a spectacular card.
The $200,000 Garrard’s Sires’ Stakes Final sees outstanding 3YO Jumal looking to add another Group 1 to his already impressive record. The exciting pacer recorded his 11th career win last week, taking out the Semi Final in a professional performance over the emerging Forever Miki and Sonofamistery. Drawing barrier three this week, he holds a distinct advantage over his main rivals and is expected to control the race from the front.
The second Group 1 of the night is the $100,000 Avon City Ford NZ Welcome Stakes, being run for the 83rd time. Already a Group 1 winner, Roger That (2) draws well again after narrowly accounting for race rivals Travel Agent (3) and Chiggsy (5) in the Diamond Creek Farms/SBSR Classic recently. Those three look likely to fight out the finish again, though all three first-starters in the field have impressed at the trials and shouldn’t be underestimated.
The $100,000 Hydroflow NZ Country Championship Final is being run for the fifth time and boasts arguably its deepest field yet. It’s Tough arrives in stunning form – highlighted by a last-start second in the Superstars behind Marketplace – along with four Country Cup victories this campaign. He’ll need to overcome a 30-metre back mark to win, but does have Smoke On The Water and Franco Sinatra alongside him. Last week’s impressive Uncut Gems winner Iron Brigade (10m) holds a handicap advantage after beating Sideshow Bruce convincingly, while the southern pair of Always Dreaming and Dreams Are Free from the Nathan Williamson stable have both been racing well.
Also on the night, the $40,000 Yabby Dam–Heather Williams Memorial Mobile Trot sees defending champion Eurostyle looking to bounce back to her very best. The Derek and Adele Jones-trained 7-year-old won from the same barrier last year and, despite a recent run of long handicap marks, gets in beautifully under the mobile conditions.
Rounding out the features is the $50,000 Syncroflex Express NZ 2YO Trotting Stakes, which shapes as an open affair with race winners Master McGoogan and Macy Royale both drawn wide on the front row. The most experienced runner in the field is T K Supersonic (3), a last-start Group 1 third in the Young Gun Final, with northern raider Ellie Diamond also catching the eye – likely to appreciate switching to left-handed racing this week.