Martin Herbert
Martin Herbert passed up a start at last Saturday’s Harness Jewels program with classy trotting filly Our Dolly Would, but the trainer hopes he only has to wait six days until Friday night’s $50,000 Group 1 Glenferrie Farms Victoria Trotters Oaks (2240m) to see his decision justified.
The New South Wales-based ex-Kiwi said setting Our Dolly Would for races against her own sex in Australia held more appeal than travelling from Auckland to Ashburton to tackle the likes of gun gelding Paramount Geegee in the random barrier draw 3YO Ruby at the Jewels finals.
“She was second on the leaderboard for a start in the Jewels and she did run second in the New Zealand Sires over there against the colts, but then she raced in the Derby the following week and the colts just proved a bit hot for her,” Herbert said.
“At her best, she’s probably not good enough to beat the colts, like most fillies aren’t, so based on the fact we could have drawn (barrier) 10 or 12 and the top colts could have drawn one or two, I decided to pull the pin on it.
“I just thought that given we may draw bad and we’re battling to beat the colts in the first place, plus it’s a big trip down there, I decided that it would easier for her to fly here (Australia) and take on the Oaks.”
Our Dolly Would, a three-time winner and Group 2 placegetter in her homeland, already has an Oaks win in Australia following a soft win in the $20,000 Group 1 New South Wales Trotters Oaks at Menangle on May 20.
The daughter of pacing sire Artsplace backed up against the boys in the following week’s NSW Trotters Derby but had to settle for sixth placing behind The Bohemian after being held up for a run in the straight.
Our Dolly Would pocketed $11,200 for those two outings and this Friday night’s first prize of $33,750 would make her past three starts more profitable than the AU$38,000 she would have got had she upstaged the boys in the 3YO Ruby.
From a nice trailing draw of nine – one off the pegs on the second line – Herbert is confident she can score another win against a similar field to what she beat at Menangle.
NSW Oaks runner-up Adhesive (12), Moyabamba (8), Class Of Her Own (2) and Aldebaran Breeze (11) are those who finished behind Our Dolly Would at Menangle who are engaged, while Djasker (4) and Our Flash Girl (5) present the best of the new blood.
“Providing nothing goes wrong in front of us, we expect her to trot her all the way and if she gets the right run I’m hoping she’s going to be too good,” Herbert said of the filly, who will be driven by Josh Willick.
“She’s the Australasian record holder (for a filly, 2:01.6) and she’s been runner-up in some mighty races in New Zealand against the colts, which hopefully should be enough to knock the fillies off up there Friday night.”
The Glenferrie Farm Victoria Trotters Oaks is Race 5 on the nine-event Tabcorp Park card, which features an appearance by Sundons Gift in the $20,000 Group 3 2construct Sundons Gift Free-For-All, and will be run at 8:42pm.
