Im Mark Antony (outside) was too strong for Derby favourite Maffioso at Ballarat two starts ago
Most harness racing fans have been counting down the days to Watpac Inter Dominion semi final night, but Allan McDonough has been eagerly awaiting Saturday night's meeting for different reasons.
The Rockbank trainer might be looking forward to seeing Blacks A Fake and One Over Kenny strut their stuff on harness racing’s biggest stage, but it is the Alabar Victoria Derby heats that will command most of his attention.
McDonough has this year emerged as the trainer holding the strongest hand in the nation’s oldest pacing classic.
The 30-year-old has a runner in each of the three $20,000 heats. Among them are Best Of Times and Im Mark Antony, who are considered leading contenders for the following Saturday night’s $150,000 final, also at Moonee Valley.
The first to appear of that duo will be Best Of Times, who is engaged in Heat Two at 7.30pm.
McDonough said the son of Partywiththebigdog had excuses when he failed in the Caduceus Club Cup at Moonee Valley on Hunter Cup Day, but he was back to full strength now as his last-start 1:58.0 win at Bendigo indicates.
“He had a couple of excuses on Hunter Cup Day,” the trainer said. “He had some respiratory problems and I’d probably been a little bit easy on him, so we upped his work and gave him in a trial and the horse seemed spot on at Bendigo.”
The only thing McDonough is worried about with Best Of Times, who will be driven by Daryl Douglas, is the barrier draw. The $3.50 chance will start from inside the back row, behind $1.70 favourite Crusaders Castle.
“It’s all going to depend on what Chris Alford elects to do on Crusaders Castle,” McDonough said.
“If Chris holds the front then we’ll have a real good chance because we’ll get our chance to beat him along the sprint lane.”
Sprint-laning will be the last thing on Douglas’s mind with Im Mark Antony, who will start from outside the back row in the night’s final heat (8pm).
But the barrier is the only thing McDonough would change with the former Kiwi, who has won his past seven starts including a tough win over Derby favourite Maffioso at Ballarat two starts back.
“After Ballarat I wasn’t going to run him again until the Derby heats, but I gave him a quiet week after that and he put on a bit of weight so we thought we’d give him another run instead of a trial,” McDonough said of Im Mark Antony, who has been marked a $5.50 chance behind $3 equal favourites Flightpath and Tanabi Bromac.
“That was at Bendigo last week and he ran home his last half in 57.5 (seconds) on a pretty windy day and Daryl never pulled the ear plugs, so I’m happy with him.”
And while Captian Cullen doesn’t have the raps of his stablemates, McDonough is still hopeful the gelding, who has only missed the place once in five starts, can overcome an outside back row draw in the opening heat (6.05pm) and make the final.
“He’s the third stringer, but I just chucked him in to get a guide on him,” McDonough said of the $26 chance.
“You only get one crack at a Derby, so it’s worthwhile having a go and I can’t see why, if he gets the right run, he won’t be running home hard.”
The first three horses from each heat, plus the two fastest fourth placegetters, will progress to next week’s final, which is one of three Group 1 events on Watpac ID08 grand final night.
