Racing: Up and comer will need sterling effort

Stirling Point is rapidly progressing through the grades and will be hard to beat at Alexandra Park tonight.

Stirling Point will have to try something new if he is to maintain his impressive northern form at Alexandra Park tonight - going around other horses.

The former Southland pacer has been a revelation since joining the Barry Purdon stable in the winter, stringing together four wins in five starts.

His only defeat for Purdon was when downed by open-class stablemate Pembrook Benny when racing well out of his class in the Spring Cup, not bad form when you consider the latter was third in last week's NZ Free-For-All.

Most of those wins have come on the back of Stirling Point's incredible standing start manners, which have seen him ping to an early lead from where he can control his own destiny.

But tonight he has drawn wide on the front line over 2200m from behind the mobile with plenty of talented gate speed horses inside him, meaning he will almost certainly have to come from further back than usual.

And that has Purdon thinking the $13,000 assignment could be a tricky one.

"These small fields can make for very tactical racing," said Purdon.

"And we have only really seen him in front or trailing since we have had him.

"On class you would say he is the one to beat but I could easily see him getting rolled just by being in the wrong place when the speed goes on."

Purdon is using tonight's race as a lead-up to next Friday's Franklin Cup, which has been Stirling Point's main aim since his form surge.

Drawn inside him tonight are three genuine speedsters in Delight Brigade, Jarcullembra and Henrik Zetterberg, all of whom are chasing Alexandra Park bonuses for their third win on the track.

Delight Brigade looked in need of the run when beaten here last Friday and if he has improved, with his gate speed as a tactical edge that makes him the biggest danger to Stirling Point.

His trainers Andrew and Lynn Neal are chasing a treble of wins earlier in the night with Springfield Hero in the main trot.

The former erratic squaregaiter has made the most of the best trotters being away at the New Zealand Cup meeting and the small field tonight somewhat negates his 40m back mark so he has a decent chance at recording his hat-trick, with Lleyton H and Fayanni the logical dangers depending on which of the trio gets the best cart into the race.

One of the more interesting runners at tonight's meeting is Veste, who has drawn the ace in race four.

She was one of the most talented juvenile fillies in the country last season but had her problems along the way.

With the closure of Mark Purdon's northern stable she is now trained by Tony Herlihy and for all her ability meets some talented, older opponents.

If she produces her best and has her mind on the job from barrier one she could win easily and use the race as a springboard to being a force in the summer 3-year-old races.

But punters should be careful about taking short odds with the daughter of Christian Cullen and group one mare Coburg.