Monnay makes northern debut

South Island-owned trotter Monnay makes his northern debut at Alexandra Park on Friday night.

Monnay was sent to Waiuku beach trainers Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett recently by owners Phil Williamson, of Oamaru, and Megan Irvine, of Gore. Williamson trained the 9-year-old for 10 of his 12 wins. Irvine and her late husband Ivan Gutsell prepared Monnay for his first two wins.

Monnay won an eight-horse workout at Pukekohe on Saturday in his first outing in the north. His stablemate Majestic Ali finished second, half a length back.

Both horses and another member of Wallis and Hackett’s stable, Commander Paris, are entered for the main trotters’ race on Friday night. Monnay will race as a $12,000 claimer.

Papakura trainers Steve Telfer and Chris Garlick are starting their New Zealand Cup prospect, No Doctor Needed, in the night’s feature race, for pacers with 76 to 106 rating points. Meanwhile, Group I winner Marcoola is likely to compete in the $30,000 Ashburton Trotters’ Flying Mile on October 24. Marcoola was given a month off after his fifth at the Harness Jewels in Cambridge on June 4. He won his previous seven starts, including the Northern Trotting Derby, Sires Stakes Trotters Champs at Alexandra Park and NZ Trotting Derby.

He could resume in a C5-OC handicap at Addington on October 14 before Ashburton. His threequarter brother, Amaretto Sun, is having a week off after winning the Ordeal Cup at Addington last Friday.