Horse racing: Pike could be party starter as Ellerslie twilight racing returns

Cannon Hill is rated trainer Tony Pike's best chance at Te Rapa on Saturday. Photo / Trish Dunell

Trainer Tony Pike may be the man to get the party started at Ellerslie tonight.

Or at least the trainer to put some spending money in the pockets of those who want to stay and make a night of it.

Tonight’s twilight meeting is one of the few occasions during the season at Ellerslie when the racing comes secondary to the socialising, with the twilight meeting after parties part of Auckland social scene folklore, especially at tonight’s pre-Christmas meeting.

While Ellerslie as a party place is also a huge part of the attraction for meetings like the Karaka Millions and Champions Day, those are mega-meetings where the racing comes first.

Tonight is far more racing as entertainment, with the six-race card hosting three maidens, two R60 races and the tightest-assessed race being up to R65.

But there are still winners to be found and Cambridge trainer Pike could produce a couple of them.

He starts the twilight meeting at 4.18pm with maiden 4-year-old Del Inquent (Race 1, No 5) taking on predominantly race winners over 2100m – but that doesn’t bother Pike.

“I have found that in these type of races, a good maiden can beat the race winners because of the weight relief,” he said.

“He is a good stayer in the making and while he has been a slow burn, he is starting to get there now.

“He has some tactical speed and can stay handy from the inside so he will be hard to beat.”

Pike also provides the favourite in Race 2 with Arthur (No 2) coming out of a strong maiden race last time, where he finished third behind That’s Gold, who went on to win the Bonecrusher Stakes at Pukekohe last Saturday.

“He is a little bit like the horse in the first in that he is still developing, but it is not impossible he could be a Derby contender if he keeps improving,” Pike said.

“This looks a good race for him and I think he can win.

“We have a nice filly in that race too in Irish Fluke, who I am certain will win races, but she might need a race or two more before she really hits her stride.”

Pike has the handy Pink Gin, an omen tip for some, in the last race which is also a qualifier for the rich Stella Artois Final on Boxing Day.

“It is a nice enough field so won’t be an easy race to win but she has been racing well and gets a claim with Sam [McNab] on so is an each-way chance.”

Like many northern trainers, Pike is in for a busy weekend, with tonight’s meeting followed by Tauranga tomorrow and then the huge Waikato Cup meeting on Saturday.

“Saturday should be great racing and I was thinking Cannon Hill would be our best chance,” Pike said.

“But the J Swap Sprint he is in looks a hot, hot race.

“He might have just hit the front too soon in the TAB Mile at Riccarton but has come through that trip well.

“His bigger aim is the Rich Hill Mile at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day but we think he can race well on Saturday, but it is a good field with a lot of winning chances.

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.