Wallis and Hackett front with 18-strong Golden Gait squad
Garrick Knight - Raceform • December 20th, 2024 3:30 PM
Friday night’s $1 Million Golden Gait super card is bit like an end-of-year Christmas Party for Bernie Hackett and Michelle Wallis’ Waiuku stable.
The husband-and-wife partnership have a huge team of 18 horses spread across six races on the Alexandra Park programme and they’re viewing it as a chance to come together with their owners and drivers to celebrate the past year’s racing.
Of course, it helps that every horse is racing for $100,000, giving many of the stable’s owners the chance to race for a rare stake.
“It’s the greatest concept we’ve had up here for a long time,” Wallis told RaceForm.
“For us it’s a reward for everyone involved in the stable who have raced throughout the year at Alexandra Park.”
Friday will be a big logistical undertaking with the stable’s two trucks and trailer float still not enough to get the entire squad to the races, all but one of which are trotters.
“We are one short and a friend is having to bring the last one in for us.”
Wallis says they are a decent chance of winning three of the six races, but even one win on the night would be a huge thrill.
“To be realistic, we are making up the numbers in the two-year-old trot and our three-year-olds are all crying out for the paddock.
“We have a chance there now that Pantani has gone off the boil, but it’s in a couple of the other races that we have better options.”
The first on the card, for trotters rated 49-60, is probably their target race with the two bookie elects carrying the familiar stable colours.
Shesgold ($3.40) is a noted gate runner suited to the mobile mile with a good draw and most importantly, she’s in great form.
“She would be close to our best on the night I’d say,” Wallis stated with undisguised confidence.
“But we also have Five O’Clock Gerry ($13) in that race, and he flies the gate too, while Halberg ($4) is facing a big drop in grade.
“Which one leads out of Shesgold and ‘Gerry’, I guess will be up to Todd (Mitchell) and Tony (Herlihy).”
They also have former Australian mare Belle Neige ($8.50) in the field and she carries strong form, but Wallis believes gate one on the second line is a negative for her.
“I would have liked her to be drawn out wide on the front as she’s a tough mare and would thrive on that, so it’s unfortunate that she’s drawn where she has.”
The stable’s sole pacer, Nelson’s Boy ($4.80), can never be discounted, especially in the 35-46 grade he races on Friday night. All he needs is a decent tempo from his second line draw to get over the top of them.
The best of the stable’s four runners in the 3YO Trot is probably Paradise Ali ($13), according to Wallis.
“I’ve talked to (daughter) Crystal and she’s going to stick with Paradise Ali from the one draw, rather than Viscount Mackendon ($21).
“I’ve been disappointed with Viscount’s last two starts, whereas Paradise Ali’s were really good.
Val Thorens ($10) has the ability but is somewhat unreliable and is starting to trail off, while Aldebaran D B ($31) is inexperienced and drawn behind Paradise Ali.
Easily the race of the night for the trotters is the 61-79 Mobile Mile, where you could make a case for the entire field.
Wallis and Hackett carry five runners and Wallis says it’s anybody’s guess how the race pans out.
“My prediction is Kiss And Run ($6.50) will try and lead them from the one and Con Grazia Love ($4.40) will also go forward from five.”
The stable was thrilled to get a Group One placing with Faith In Manchester last week, but despite her short $4 quote, she’s less suited to a mobile sprint than the standing start staying test she got last week.
“She doesn’t have a lot of gate speed so she’ll need to work forward at some point and her chances will depend on whether she can get to parked,” Wallis added.
“American Muscle ($9) has gate speed too, but it’s hard to know where she will end up from a wide draw.
“Iron Love ($11) is also drawn out, but he could happily sit three-wide with a trail and be in the finish. I was really happy with his last start.
“Magic Dash ($8.50) is in great form, and I would like to think from two on the second row that he should be able to land a decent position, though it will depend on what Lord Popinjay does in front of him early.
“And then there’s All Cashed Up ($15) who is definitely good enough to win with the right trip despite the bad draw.
“He really should have been racing a month ago, but he had a foot issue that that set him back.”
Rounding out the Hackett/Wallis team is Aradne, a $14 shot in the 38-47 trot who doesn’t win out of turn but this timer round gets the right race for the right stake.
“It’s not a strong field but she hasn’t drawn good, and I can’t remember the last time she went from a mobile.
“It’s an even field and she has a chance.”
Photograph at the top of the page: Bernie Hackett and Michelle Wallis will have weight of numbers on their side on TAB Golden Gait night.
