Ray’s ready to deal but Ace Commander’s not quite ready to trump ‘em yet
By Barry Lichter • 19 November 2019
Ace Commander gave his best hint yet that he can make the grade in the north with a bold win at the Pukekohe workouts at the weekend.
But while trainer Ray Green expects the trotter to run well when he resumes at Auckland on Friday night, he’s not expecting him to win.
Ace Commander hasn’t raced since June when, after two runs for Green, it was discovered he had an entrapped epiglottis.
Routine surgery corrected the breathing problem after which Ace Commander was given a decent break. And Green has given the six-year-old a slow buildup, contesting five workouts in October and November.
Last Saturday he ran his best yet when downing two talented trotters in Havehorsewilltravel and Forget The Price Tag, both of whom oppose him on Friday night.
Ace Commander has shown a good turn of foot in his workouts.Showing good speed away from the stand again, Ace Commander pressed forward to wrest the lead after 400 metres.
Zachary Butcher kept the horse pinging along in front and after the challenging Delson broke on the home turn he scored easily by one and a quarter lengths from Havehorsewilltravel with a head to Forget The Price Tag who both made up good ground late.
Ace Commander ran the 2500 metres in 3:20.1, a mile rate of 2:08.7, with closing sectionals of 61.1 and 29.3.
And best of all, his heart rate was lower than in recent workouts, a sign that he had continued steady improvement.
“His heart rate wasn’t bad after I drove him on Tuesday either, “ said Green. “He’s improving all the time. Those were two really nice horses who couldn’t round him up on Saturday.
“He’s capable of going a good race but I think he’ll need a run or two.”
Ace Commander, bought by leading Australian owner Merv Butterworth, came from the South Island with a record of five wins from 23 starts and he gets into Friday’s race as the second highest rated trotter behind Forget The Price Tag, but consequently starts from a 20 metre handicap.
Ace Commander, by Monarchy, has shown he has a good turn of foot and Green says he fits nicely into the grade he finds himself in on Friday.
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Les Harding
Monday at Globe Derby
Race 6: Beaudiene Rocknroll
6.34pm NZ time
This race will tell us how he measures up against the local horses. We decided to go for this lower graded race, despite having lower prize money, instead of going to the trials one more time. He won the second of two trials on April 21, beating race rival Hezrockinroyalty by four metres. Run over 2230 metres he clocked 57.7 for his last half and 1:59.7 for his last mile. From the pole he’ll start short and be hard to beat.
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 7: Lincoln Lou
8.25pm
“He’s a beautiful little horse who doesn’t do anything wrong. He got held up at a crucial time last week and got home well (for sixth). He gets out pretty well so should get a good trip from two. He’ll go his usual honest race. He’s improving all the time, he’s a gutsy little guy, but whether he can measure up to the favourites remains to be seen.”
Race 7: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.25pm
“He’s a work in progress and we’re still dabbling with his gear. He’s actually a naturally good-gaited horse, like all the American Ideals, but he’s going through a stage of not really knowing why he’s out there. You just don’t know when he’ll click but three is an ideal draw for him and he should be handy if he does things right.”
Race 9: Leo Lincoln
9.20pm
“He’s an under-rated horse, as good as those others who are higher rated. He’s proving to be a tidy horse and, while he’s not viewed as a serious player by some, I think he is. He was closing off really well last week behind Hugotastic.”
