Michael Guerin: Ammunition to fire at bully boy Aussies emerges

Franco Emirate. Photo / Dean Purcell

Finally, some light at the end of the tunnel.

That was the feeling the two biggest race on Jewels day left in the hearts of beleaguered New Zealand harness racing fans.

After getting our collective butts kicked by the Aussies in the Auckland Cup and Interdominions our open class ranks are in dire need of some new blood.

Some fast, tough blood would be good.

Which is what Franco Emirate and Gold Ace displayed winning the 4- and 3-year-old male paces respectively on Saturday.

Franco Emirate was one of the few winners - Cowgirls N Indians being the other - to come wide and from off the speed in the last 500m and he beat some class acts in doing so.

Sure, he got the perfect cart into the race but anybody can see he has the gait, speed and scope to be a genuine open-class star.

Being by Christian Cullen, whose stock don't have a great record past the age of four, is a slight worry but he has been sparingly raced and he would be among the early New Zealand Cup favourites.

After all, many of those who beat on Saturday - Gomeo Romeo, Russley Rascal, Pure Power and, most importantly, Smiling Shard, have shown they can handle themselves in open class.

Gold Ace is a very different type of horse to Franco Emirate. One is big, the other compact.

Franco Emirate is trained and driven by the conservative Jim Curtin, the 3-year-old having the services of extroverts Steven Reid and Peter Ferguson.

But Gold Ace has genuine gate speed, is tough and tractable, suggesting that in 18 months he will fit nicely into a New Zealand Cup field.

He had to be brave to win, copping constant pressure in front after a lighting beginning, with the win coming so deep into a rigorous season.

That season may not be over yet though, with Reid considering a Queensland and then Australasian Breeders Crown campaign.

While Franco Emirate and Gold Ace look to have big futures, so too does Fly Like An Eagle, who was the most impressive winner on Saturday in the juvenile male pace.

He bounced back from his shock Australian defeat last start to simply power past his rivals mid-race and win untouched, looking every inch a replica of his stablemate Auckland Reactor as a young horse.

Like Auckland Reactor, he is by Mach Three so the potential to shine like a superstar and then burnout is very real but there is no doubting his freakish talent.

Add him to Gold Ace, Flying Isa, Paramount Geegee and Carabella as potential Kiwi raiders across the Tasman this winter and the feelgood factor should return.