Odds on Dark Horse stagger trainer

The trainer behind the most hyped horse of Harness Jewels days has labelled her odds ridiculous.

Because while trainer-driver Nathan Williamson thinks he can win the four-year-old Ruby with the appropriately-named Dark Horse, he is adamant she doesn’t deserve to be the $2.40 favourite.

Dark Horse is one of the more exciting trotters to come out of Southland in a decade, having won five of her eight starts this term, her three defeats coming when she galloped.

Her last two wins have seen her clock serious 2700m and 2200m mobile times, including a last-start thrashing of NZ Trot Champs winner Eyre I Come at Winton.

Williamson, the son of champion trainer of trotters Phil, knows he has something special in his care. “She is an excitement machine, the best horse I have trained by some way,” he told the Herald.

“She has dazzling speed and I’d love to think she can win the Jewels.

“But I can’t believe she is the $2.40 favourite, that is ridiculous.

“She is up against a Rowe Cup winner [Temporale], Lemond almost won the Anzac Cup, Wilma’s Mate has won a Derby and a Breeders Crown and Marcoola has almost beaten Monbet.

“My mare is on the up and maybe we can beat them but there is no way we deserve to be favourite. If she was $4 I could understand it, but I’d have her $8.”

While the latter would make Williamson the most popular bookmaker in harness racing, the fouryear-old trot market at the Jewels is one of the most confused. Marcoola is a proven open class star but raced miles below his best at Addington last Friday, Lemond and Temporale have the form on the board at the highest level, Wilma’s Mate’s racing style always leaves her vulnerable to bad luck and forgotten Jewels winner Missandei has re-emerged by beating all of that quartet at Addington last Friday.

Friday’s draw will be crucial, with horses like Marcoola and Temporale hard to catch should they draw to lead, but Williamson says while Dark Horse has become a thrilling sitsprinter, he is willing to turn that racing style on its head at Ashburton on Saturday week.

“Last start she drew inside Eyre I Come, who is a fast beginner, so it gave me a chance to trot her off the gate and see how she handled it.

“She was very safe in an opening 400m in 28.1 seconds so I am sure she can come off the gate quicker.

“That gives me some confidence that if we draw well I could lead on her and I heard Clint Ford [Marcoola] say last week his fella could trot a 1:55 mile, well I am sure my mare could too.”