Brett Gray has had enough nice horses to know when one is the real deal, and while Miki isn’t racing this week, anticipation is high for what she does next and if her stablemate can repeat the dose in this weeks feature.
There are more ticks than crosses when assessing the case for this monster trip from Ryal Bush down south turning into a sublime northern sojourn for trainer Brett Gray’s team this month.
Form might be temporary, but it’s a key sign of wellness when you’re away from home — and you can’t argue with the feel‑good factor when your horses run first and second on opening night of the carnival.
"They were both pleasantly surprising" was Gray's reaction shortly after racing had finished last Friday at the Park.
Miki’s Deal made a meal of her bad hand in the Caduceus Club Final last week. The talented three‑year‑old filly was posted wide from her outside draw, forced forward to find any sort of cover, and couldn’t — so she sat parked outside the hot favourite All Of Me for the final lap. When her lungs were burning at the top of the straight, instead of battling, she barged past the pacemaker for victory.
Gray has had enough nice horses to know when one is the real deal, and while Miki isn’t racing this week, anticipation is high for what she does next.
Brett Gray has a plan.
“Of course, I’d love to win the hometown feature, the Southland Oaks, so we’re getting her home for that for sure on April 26!”
The Group 2 Southland Oaks is one of the highlights of Southland’s showcase meeting, Diamonds Day. It’ll sit within another autumn road trip that also includes a Sires’ Stakes Series Semi Final at Addington on April 17 and, hopefully, a return to Auckland for the $200,000 Magness Benrow Sires’ Stakes 3YO Pacing Fillies Final on May 8.
Miki’s Deal wasn’t bluffing last Friday — and later that night, no one missed her stablemate Ultimate Cullect either, roaring home from last, in the last, for a black‑book second between Harness Million colts Sonofamistery and Eun Sogno.
It was enough to encourage connections to lodge a late payment for this Friday’s $50,000 mares’ feature against six similarly credentialed rivals.
Even so, the Merv and Mary Butterworth‑owned mare won’t start favourite in the Listed Magness Benrow Sires’ Stakes Northern Mares Classic. That honour will fall to the highly rated four‑year‑old Princess Gracy, whose penchant for minor placings includes a second in last summer’s NZ Oaks. A win looks doable for her Woodlands Stud syndicate owners.
It’s a rematch minus the Caduceus Club quinella but plus some Purdon power in the NZB Standardbred Harness Million for the three‑year‑old pacing fillies this week in Auckland.
Miki’s Deal is heading home and All Of Me shifts to the support card, neither being a yearling sales filly — so eyes are wide open to spot the winner in this week’s $150,000 showdown.
Last year’s Caduceus Club 2YO champion Shezsofast debuts this season from Nathan Purdon’s new Pukekohe base, alongside 2025 Harness Million winner Wat Next.
Two fresh fillies arrive on the scene from Ardmore as well. The Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan‑trained War Cry was runner‑up to both of nephew Nathan’s fillies last season in the aforementioned features. The speedy daughter of Lazarus beat her stablemate Fly High at a recent workout and may have the edge again — especially from her pole draw this Friday night.
Meanwhile, in the Million for the three‑year‑old males, the Jumal juggernaut feels unstoppable. None of his rivals look positioned to push him out of his lethal lead‑and‑dominate comfort zone, and he’s very much “in the zone” this campaign.
Other spectacles on night two of the Northern Lights Carnival include the Breckon Farms Young Guns 2YO Pacing Finals — a showcase of our rising stars and an inkling of Sires' Stakes contenders later on.
Is New Zealand's top‑ranked standardbred Republican Party really ready to hand over the family bigwig baton to Tour Party? His younger sibling looks keen to take it, unbeaten in two starts so far this season.
Meanwhile, the “old boy” will be looking to make amends for his slightly lacklustre return last week, when he could only manage seventh — eight lengths off The Lazarus Effect in open company.
As mentioned last time, NZSS CEO Martin Pierson is excited about a freshly minted bonus incentive for fillies subscribed to this Caduceus Club Series (27) and beyond.
“There are nine races designated as bonus races for these horses this year — three each in the north, south and Canterbury — where $7,000 will be paid to the owners of the winning filly in each, provided she is eligible for Series 27.”
Any individual filly can win one bonus, but all can contest any number of the nine races, beginning at Addington on March 27.
Additional races confirmed this week for subscribers include Winton on April 12 and Auckland on April 24. Other notable races likely to be added include established fillies’ stakes races such as the Canada Stakes in the south and the Hilarious Guest in Canterbury.
The bonus payments are locked in for the next three years, reinforcing a long‑term focus on participation in the Auckland Trotting Club series.
