In a touch of irony, Adore Me’s last start and arguably bravest performance came when second in an Auckland Cup, beaten by the Dalgetytrained Christen Me.
Now Dalgety hopes the three-yearold filly can become his springboard horse, the filly that helps launch his career as he strives for his 100th domestic winning drive tonight.
“I have been lucky enough to drive some really good horses already, like Krug who gave me a Group 1,” says the 20-year-old.
“But I hope this filly might be the horse to put me into Group 1 races regularly, whereas I only got on Krug after he has won all his derbies.
”She is a very good filly and if she goes on to be a top mare I’d love to go on that ride with her.”
While crossing Adore Me with pacing’s most gifted stallion in Captaintreacherous sounded like a guaranteed recipe for success, Dalgety says All You Need Is Me wasn’t always a star.
“She could run as a young horse but was very immature and took some making so we gave her time and after each spell she came back better.
“But the penny has dropped now and she feels like a really good filly. Her stride is enormous and she is very fast.”
The brutality of All You Need Is Me’s last two Alexandra Park wins should guarantee her the lead tonight and with key rival Duchess Megxit likely to have to cover a lot more ground, possibly even sitting parked over the last 800m, the hot favourite may be unstoppable.
Dalgety thinks he can also win the two-year-old fillies race tonight with Justyouwait (R3, No 1), who should lead and again the danger could be a Purdon/Phelan-trained filly in Youretheonethatiwant (No 5), who has looked sharp at the trials.
Team Dalgety also have Republican Party in the City Of Auckland Free-For-All Don’t Stop Dreaming, who was fifth in Miracle Mile last start, is the hot favourite for the 2200m race which will be a crucial form guide to the $1 million Race by Grins at Cambridge on April 12.
Meanwhile, Nathan Williamson is going to try to turn the “less than ideal” into Derby glory tonight. The Southland trainer has already provided the first giant-killer blow of the three-year-old season when Dreams Are Free sat parked to beat Cold Chisel, Major Hot and Chase A Dream in a Sires’ Stakes heat at Alexandra Park last Friday.
He was so impressive he has opened the $2.80 final field favourite even though he will start from barrier 8 and key rival Cold Chisel gets the coveted barrier 1 and the marker pegs which provide so many Derby winners.
“Obviously it was not the draw I was hoping for but I think it might work out okay,” says Williamson. “I can see Cold Chisel leading but he has been so good with a trail I wouldn’t be surprised if Zac Butcher handed up to the right horse and I think that right horse is us.
“I think my best option is to try and roll forward, preferably with cover and see if the front is there. “If that happened to mean having Cold Chisel in the trail and he beats us up the passing then so be it.”
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.
