Masterton trainer Dean Chandler is keenly awaiting the Manawatu Harness Racing Club's two-day meeting at Palmerston North Raceway on Friday and Sunday.
The former Tauranga resident has spent much of the past year preparing to launch himself on the harness racing scene from his base at Upper Manaia road and the
Manawatu meetings will signal the start of what he hopes will become a successful operation.
Chandler follows his father Colin into the training game and his move to Wairarapa was influenced in part by his partner Leia Baker setting up a hairdressing salon in Carterton.
His arrival has certainly boosted the interest in harness racing here with two of the four maidens (non-winners) he intends to line up at Manawatu being raced by local syndicates.
Just Jacko is a six-year-old gelding raced on lease by four members of the Wairarapa Harness Racing Club while Aqua Shock is a three-year-old gelding syndicated to 20 members of the Masterton Cosmopolitan Club.
They also have another horse, a Holmes Hanover filly, with Chandler and she is currently being rested.
Chandler's other runners at Manawatu will be a four-year-old gelding Smart N'Smooth and the six-year-old mare Awakite Kim , who is raced by Baker.
The trainer himself believes that if favourable draws- a prime necessity on the tight Palmerston North circuit- come his way all four of his charges should give a good account of themselves.
Smart N' Smooth looked impressive enough in winning a workout at Auckland some three weeks ago as did Just Jacko in finishing third in the same heat.
Aqua Shock has been with Chandler for just over a week."He's a big horse who is still strengthening up but I do like the look of him," he said.
Awakite Kim has had little luck in her recent racing and could be a "dark horse" at Manawatu. according to her trainer.He sees her as having a lot more ability than her form would suggest.
The Chandler team will be boosted over the next few days by the arrival from Auckland of a filly by the New Zealand Cup winner Iraklis.She has had three starts at Alexandra Park and ran fourth on each occasion.
Chandler expects her to be suited to racing in the lower North Island and is hoping to syndicate her within the Wairarapa as well.
