But voting forms don’t note circumstances or merit, just finishing positions, and while this spring has been a costly roller-coaster for Muscle Mountain, it has seen the renaissance of Oscar Bonavena.
He was the budding champion four years ago but has been fighting his frailties for many of the seasons since until he came back this campaign looking happier and sounder.
Oscar not only beat Muscle Mountain fair and square in the Canterbury Park Trotting Cup, but bolted away with the Dominion and, maybe crucially, was second to upset winner Love N the Port in the Rowe Cup in May.
With Muscle Mountain to miss Sunday’s Free-For-All, Oscar Bonavena will start around a $1.20 favourite and, if he wins, he and Muscle Mountain’s records will look surprisingly similar.
They will both will have won two Group 1s during the season being voted on, won similar Group 2, 3 or lesser feature races and have a head to head record of 3-3.
If he wins on Sunday, Oscar Bonavena has that second placing in the Rowe Cup as his little bonus credit, and while name recognition and simple stunning brilliance will take Muscle Mountain a long way towards the title, Oscar Bonavena’s case may prove impossible to deny.
The little horse winning Trotter of the Year would be one of the great redemption stories after he won one minor race in 13 starts last year for a mere $45,252 in stakes.
He won’t be the only star trying to potentially seal a Horse of the Year category at Sunday’s Grand Prix meeting, as there could also be a title on the line in the $250,000 Pacing Derby in which Merlin (barrier4) has the draw advantage over rival Don’t Stop Dreaming (6).
Again, it is a case of Don’t Stop Dreaming having felt the better horse for the second half of their 3-year-old season, but if (there’s that word again) Merlin can win the NZ Derby on Sunday and add it to the Northern Derby he won in March and the Harness Million, that would mean his major race body of work could trump Don’t Stop Dreaming.
In the latter’s favour will be a 3-1 head-to-head advantage but that gap could close on Sunday and the early tactical battle in the Derby could be the highlight of the day.
Millwood Nike gets another dreadful draw at barrier 9 as she tries to remain unbeaten in 18 starts in the NZ Pacing Oaks, while the NZ Trotting Derby sees a rare Australian age group trotting raider in Not As Promised, who should start favourite.
The day also contains four Group1 juvenile races, two of each gait, Addington saving the $110,000 Ace of Spaces for the male pacers by keeping nominations open, two late entries bringing the field to seven starters.
Grand Prix Day
What: Harness racing Grand Prix Day
When: Sunday, first race 12.20pm.
Where: Addington, Christchurch.
Highlights: Eight Group 1 races, including two derbies and the New Zealand Oaks.
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.
