Ants looking for another big effort from Make Way at Menangle but Bonanza less likely
By Barry Lichter • 11 January 2020
Top horseman Anthony Butt will make a final decision on whether to take Make Way to Victoria for the Bonanza after he competes at Menangle tonight but the trip is looking less likely now.
Butt and trainer Sonya Smith were initially keen to tackle the first big four-year-old feature at Melton on January 25, so taken were they by his outstanding third against the topliners at Bathurst a couple of weeks ago.
But since then the All Stars’ new pinup Self Assured has gone to another level, dominating his rivals in the Auckland Cup and his trip to Australia has been confirmed, with his first two targets the Ballarat Cup on January 18 and the Bonanza a week later.
“There’s not much point going all that way to race Self Assured,” says Butt. ‘We won’t be beating him. I’ll wait to see how my fella goes tonight but I’m leaning to not going now.”
Anthony Butt with Make Way who should give another great sight from the inside draw tonight.Make Way’s luck held when the random barrier draw came out for Menangle tonight, landing his favourite pole position, from where Butt will be able to carve out his own luck again.
And while he meets a strong line-up of mostly higher rated runners, he is suited to the testing 2300 metres at Menangle after his recent top efforts over 2540m, 2555m and 2790m.
Whether Butt elects to stay in front or take a trail will depend on how much early pressure he gets, but either way he says he should be able to stay handy enough.
“There are some classy horses in there but hopefully we’ll be right there at the finish.”
Among his opposition tonight is former Lincoln Farms pacer King Of Swing, having his first start since moving from Perth, and the tough pacer Ignatius, who is a regular performer in strong Group races.
Butt says Make Way hasn’t missed a beat since running a close third to Alta Orlando and Our Uncle Sam in the Group II Shirley Turnbull Memorial at Bathurst, when he was caught in the shadows of the post.
“It didn’t knock him at all. I couldn’t be happier with him.”
Make Way’s main target this season is to qualify for the A$200,000 Chariots Of Fire on February 22 through the A$50,000 Hondo Grattan on February 8 and A$50,000 Paleface Adios a week later.
Make Way races at 11.18pm NZ time at Menangle on Saturday night.
More news in Harness
Prince Lincoln spearheads record-sized team for Lincoln Farms at Cambridge on Friday
Ray cautions punters with no lead this time for Jekyll and Hyde colt Prince Lincoln
Two (not so) secret weapons help Lincoln Farms to $29,287 payday at Cambridge
Deb dresses her latest ‘Copy’ weanling in white and he delivers a Major coup
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Spirited Belle
4.46pm
Delany: “I saw she’d been punted but somebody must know something we don’t as I’ve been working her myself and, while she feels all right and hasn’t put the boot in like at Auckland, I think she’ll need the run. She hasn’t got any high speed but feels like she will stay. She has improved a bit but I’d be surprised if she won.”
Race 1: Lincoln Maree
4.46pm
“It’s always hard from these draws but she’s a tough mare who will make her own luck at some stage. She’s going well enough - her drivers have all been happy - and she’s a little warrior who tries like hell.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.12pm
“He’s only two and very inexperienced but he feels like a good colt and there’s a lot of improvement in him. He certainly caught a lot of people’s attention last time. I don’t know how good he is yet but he’ll be right there.”
Race 2: Prince Lincoln
5.12pm
“If he can lead without having to do too much work I can’t see anything beating him. I thought he went great last start. He pressed the winner hard ’til the corner then just flattened out in the run home, but he had every reason to do that after all the work he’d done.”
Race 4: Spirit Of God
6.12pm
“She’s been undone by bad draws. If she led easily from three she’d be hard to beat as she’s a good front-runner.”
Race 4: Spirited Peggy
6.12pm
“We’ve had her for only two weeks but she’s seven now and has had her chance to win one. She has a bit of speed but I think she gets pulling so we’ve got the Hidez (compression) hood on her and plugged her ears up.”
Race 6: Copy N Paste
7.10pm
“We won’t see the best of him for another six months. He’s been a slow developing horse but is improving all the time and getting stronger.”
Race 6: Jessie Lincoln
7.10pm
“If I was having a bet on one of them in the race it would be her. She deserves to win one. Her last two have been really good - she just ran into one who was a bit slicker last time in Major Copy.”
Race 6: Lincoln Dealer
7.10pm
“He’s a bit one-dimensional - you’ve got to feed him track and let him run - so the second row draw is a big handicap. To his credit I was surprised he finished so close last time after all the work he did. When he gets a decent draw and crosses them they’ll know they’re at the races. He’s got a big motor and tries hard.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.08pm
“She clawed her way to the front last time but had nothing left at the finish. That won’t happen this time and she should lead easily from one.”
Race 8: Angelic Copy
8.08pm
“She’s had terrible draws but has been going good races. The others last time were just better than her but this is a big drop in class. With the right trip she could get some of it at huge odds.”
Race 9: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.35pm
“He’s not quick away from a stand but he won’t muff it completely. He steps from the front line and Peter Ferguson was quite happy with his last run.”
Race 9: Lincoln Wave
8.35pm
“He bombed the stand the first time but to be fair all those horses were rushing up at him from the back and that panicked him a bit. He’s on 10 metres this time so that won’t happen.”
