Cran Dalgety isn’t weighing in on pre-race chatter as Republican Party attempts to go two better than his outstanding third in the Group One New Zealand Cup.
The Kentuckiana Lodge pacer has been handed the trump card in Friday’s Group One New Zealand Free-For-All, coming into barrier 1 and drawing inside an incredible array of talent.
The challenge for New Zealand Free-For-All contenders for decades has remained the same, either come in fresh or, more vitally, back up after a gruelling two-mile challenge just three days prior.
Whether Republican Party is up for that challenge is clear – now.
“If you had asked me even later on Wednesday I would have scratched the head, to be honest,” Dalgety said.
“He was tired and he knew he had had a testing trip, but I couldn’t imagine any of the field would have bounced out of their boxes in the morning.”
“We were confident he would recover well, being a colt and with the racing, he is generally nice and bright fairly quickly.”
“That was the case on Thursday morning, he tucked into his breakfast and was looking well.”
“We haven’t taught him to talk yet but I am picking he would have said let's get ready to rumble.”
The camps of superstar rivals Merlin and Catch A Wave have both declared their plan-A would be to find the front in the New Zealand Free-For-All.
Republican Party, his brilliant gate speed and Carter Dalgety hold the key to those plans.
But the topic is not something the Kentuckiana camp is going to start making headlines with.
“I think with Catch A Wave and Merlin, they are the big names and naturally everyone wants to know what they might be going to do,” Dalgety said.
“They are outstanding animals and we have nothing but respect for them.”
“I guess just on the pure facts of the situation, Republican Party has shown quite brilliant gate speed and it is a 2000m dash so we won’t be wasting that weapon and we certainly won’t be going backwards.”
“The horse is coming off one of the best runs of his career and whatever Carter chooses to do, I am sure they will run well.”
Republican Party heads into the New Zealand Free-For-All after unleashing incredible sectional times in his New Zealand Cup third.
The pacer ran his last mile in 1.53.8, 2.9 seconds faster than the winner, Swayzee.
