Harness racing: Mediator rated best chance of Matty White’s strong Alexandra Park team

Mediator looks one of the bets of the night at Alexandra Park. Photo / Race Images

Trainer Matty White thinks Mediator is edging closer to being the finished product.

And that should be good enough to win at Alexandra Park tonight, at a meeting where White has a strong hand.

The South Auckland trainer has five of his 23-strong stable racing tonight, with smart horses in Mhai Surfer Girl (Race 1) and Lord Popinjay (R10) taking on good fields at either end of the programme.

But it is Mediator (R7, No 4) who gives White his best chance.

Mediator is almost a victim of his reputation getting too big too early, which can happen when you are a son of Captaintreacherous and former outstanding filly Willow and you win your first two races.

Both those wins came in March and then Mediator finished a close fifth in a Sires’ Stakes heat at Cambridge behind Bettors Anvil, Greased Lightnin and Got The Chocolates, pretty hot form for a pacer racing in R35-43 grade tonight.

The only reason he is still there is immaturity as he is still developing physically and mentally, but his stride and natural speed suggests there is plenty more to come.

“He is getting there and I think we will start seeing something like this best soon,” White said.

After two mixed runs to start this campaign, Mediator was luckless at Alexandra Park when second to Blazing Louie, being in the trail when the leader stopped and being forced to come across heels before finishing well.

“I thought it was a good run and this looks the right race for him,” White said.

Mhai Surfer Girl is a smart mare but returning in a good horse’s race to open the night and White says while she will need the run in that grade, he has lofty aims.

“She has never gone a bad race and we will look at the Queen Of Hearts in December with her and then the Golden Gait.”

White said Forgiveness (R2) is up against it in a sharp TAB Metro Trotters heat headlined by Higher Power, while juvenile American Falcon (R3) is another at the improving stage.

“He has gone two good races so far but can’t draw a barrier.

“He has got barrier six again this week but he is getting stronger so is still a chance.”

Lord Popinjay has been a “surprise package” since joining White’s team and was excellent winning last start, but again faces a 20m handicap over 2200m.

“He is going super but so much depends on the start.

“If he can step well and get past two or three then he has a real chance but in a race like this, if they string out and you are at the back, it is totally different. So the start really matters.”

White also drives Better Reaction for his father Les White in a tricky TAB Metro pacing heat in which his best would be good enough to get money – but it is a heat that could slide by in 2m 40s for the 2200m mobile and then luck and field position would be the difference between first and fifth.

He also partners Tight Lines in the last of 11 races (there is a surprise) and said while he has never driven the 3-year-old, any Brian and Gareth Hughes runner deserves respect.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.