Emerging Kiwi Krug will get a unique taste of harness racing in Queensland by kicking off his TAB Constellations carnival at Redcliffe’s “Triangle” track later this month.
Trained by respected New Zealander Cran Dalgety, star three-year-old Krug has made his way over to the Sunshine State after accepting a wildcard position for the inaugural $250,000 Group 1 The Rising Sun at Albion Park on July 10.
After arriving in Australia over the weekend, all roads now lead to the Redcliffe Peninsula Harness Racing and Sporting Club for Dalgety and Krug.
The colt is a star of Kiwi pacing, claiming their two premier derbies - the New Zealand and Great Northern derbies - as he now turns his attention to Queensland carnival stakes races.
Speaking on Tuesday morning as the TAB Queensland Constellations carnival was officially launched, Dalgety believes the $21,310 Redcliffe Derby over 2040 metres will be a perfect steppingstone towards the inaugural The Rising Sun.
“We are planning to have a go in the Redcliffe Derby, I know it is an indifferent track but he is a racehorse and he is here to race so we will send him around if we can,” Dalgety said.
“At this stage, we would love to be at Redcliffe.
“Then two weeks we later we look to The Rising Sun and then we will wing it after that, but in the back of my mind will be the Queensland Derby - that is a big plan too.”
On the flight over from New Zealand, the experienced trainer notes his gun three-year-old lost some weight and condition in his coat but is making a great recovery so far in his short time in Australia.
The new and improved 2021 winter carnival features 11 Group 1 races and more than $2 million in prize money and bonuses.
One of the new highlights of the carnival will be the first-ever The Rising Sun, which is a new race worth $250,000, with 3YOs eligible for a $100,000 bonus should they win the race, which Krug would claim for his connections if he was able to prevail.
“The stakes money and bonus on offer, we are excited for a big race like The Rising Sun,” Dalgety said.
Racing Queensland's Senior Racing Manager for Harness David Brick is excited to have a colt of Krug’s calibre in Queensland for the TAB Constellations, winning almost $500,000 in career prize money from his 13 wins from just 22 starts.
“We are rapt to have Krug come over, we approached them with a wildcard for The Rising Sun and we hoped we can get a good quality three-year-old against the four-year-olds,” Brick said.
“He has brought the horse over and all credit to Cran for doing so.
“The offer is there, if he can win the race the $100,000 is there for the owners, they can take that home on top of the stakes.
“It is fantastic to get a three-year-old in the race and we are really looking forward to seeing him go around, which might be up at Redcliffe in a couple of weeks - it would be a great result for the club.”
The TAB Queensland Constellations commences on Friday evening at Redcliffe and culminates in late July with the final night of the carnival featuring an incredible six Group 1s, with the Queensland Derby and Oaks, the Triad Finals and the Queensland Trotters Cup supporting the TAB Blacks A Fake, Queensland’s only Grand Circuit event.
