Royal Runner returns for Hatrick race

THE recent $80,000 Auckland Cup third place-getter Royal Runner makes her return to racing at Hatrick this evening in Race 9

The Angela Turnwald-trained chaser was gallant in delivering her Group 1 placing when seen running on late.

She is generally sighted contesting the early pace which is a tactic she must use from the lousy five-trap draw she has been allocated here.

Kennel mates Air Raid and Grader Jack have respectively drawn the inside and outside traps. Both are racing up in class in this event.

As usual the biggest challenge to the Turnwald runners will be lodged from the powerful Lisa Ahern kennels.

It promises to be a huge weekend for Ahern as she will marry her long time partner Brendon Cole in Palmerston North tomorrow afternoon.

Kissing Gwyneth also returns from Auckland after her bold second in a feature 527m on the last night of the Auckland Cup carnival. She was stylish 30.02s winner in a prior Hatrick 520m for Ahern.

Others from the kennel includes Mammy Brown, who led last Friday's version of this race all-the-way when clocking 30.09s.

Holding upset claims in the first leg of the late TAB Quaddie are Allegro Max and Always Welcome, along with the Alisha Speight-prepared Varga Frost. The second leg sees Ahern holding solid looking claims via the sprinters Mighty Magic, Bolt Allegro and Miss Allegro.

The locally trained-pair of Matilda's Babe and Bit Coin will be looking to deny the Ahern sprinters victory in this dash. Onto the third Quaddie leg, where Ahern again looks set to dominate via Allegro Chaser, Elle Packer along with Blue And Curly.

Boston Blaze has drawn to spoil the Ahern party here for Turnwald from the ace-trap.

The remarkable run of trap-one draws continues for sprinter Winning Is Easy in the last.

Incredibly she will be thrown the red racing vest to wear for the tenth time in only her 19th career race for Ahern.

Completely forget her last two misses on the Manukau track.

Expect sprinters from the outside traps to provide the most opposition to her by kennel mates Why Oh Why and Allegro Class, while Super Rooster delivered the meet best 17.49s time in the 305m last Friday for Turnwald.