Puppet Pulling The Crown Strings

18 August 2010
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Chris Alford has his eyes on more Breeders Crown success this weekend

Chris Alford has his eyes on more Breeders Crown success this weekend

Amid the myriad of equine championships at Melton this Sunday, another title – that of greatest driver in Tabcorp Australasian Breeders Crown history – will be decided between two of the biggest names in the game.

Chris Alford and Gavin Lang share honours as the most successful pilot in the Crown’s 12-year past with six wins apiece, but with a brilliant book ahead of the richest day of age-restricted racing in Australasia, “Puppet” is short odds to break the deadlock.
Broadways Best, Aussie Made Lombo and Down Under Muscles – who Alford also trains – headline a great Tabcorp Park card for one of harness racing’s most enduring figures.
Having drawn well with each, the 42-year-old is a huge chance of adding to his impressive record.
“Having drawn the front (three) with Broadways Best, I’d have to say she is my best chance, no doubt,” he said.  “Especially now that Make Mine Cullen (10) is out the back. 
“She’ll have to either sit outside us or outsprint us and seeing as whoever gets the better run on the day will probably come out on top, it (the draw) means a lot, for sure.”
While that eagerly anticipated clash between Australia’s two premier four-year-old mares promises to be the highlight, Alford will be equally as keen to add to his tally with four-year-old trotter Down Under Muscles.
Having conditioned the squaregaiter to placings in his two and three-year old Crown finals, the gun driver is understandably keen to go one better this week.
“He (Down Under Muscles) is in great form and it would be special to win with him, he deserves it,” Alford said.
“It’s pretty hard to come three wide like he did in his heat when they’re running home in 27.7 seconds, so hopefully now that we’ve drawn inside Let Me Thru he can stay in front of him in the run and beat him that way.”
Jayne Davies’ brave two-year-old filly Aussie Made Lombo completes a triumvirate of genuine winning chances for Alford on the $1.56 million raceday.
Sadly for Lang, his chances of maintaining his mantle at the top of the pile have been curbed by a dearth of quality drives, although both Passions Promise (2YO fillies) and Rostevarren (3YO trotters) will have admirers.
Lang’s most impressive semi-final winner from last Friday night, Smiling Shard, will be reacquainted with regular reinsman Dexter Dunn in the three-year-old boys final with Lang to partner blowout hope Its My Pleasure.

 

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