The bad news for them is that Ronald J’s stablemate and last season’s top trotting mare, Habibti Ivy, is only two weeks away from resuming for the Nairn stable.
“Ronald J will be out for no more than a month,” Nairn said after he won his fifth race from six appearances at Addington since June 30.
“I might run him in the NZ Trotting Free-For-All at the cup meeting.”
“I’ve got enough for the Dominion Handicap so haven’t nominated him for that.”
Besides Habibti Ivy, Nairn has Lothario, One Over Da Moon, The Foot Tapper and Wilma’s Mate, nominated for the Group One Dominion over 3200m on Friday, November 17.
Ronald J notched his seventh win from only 10 career starts when he led over the final 1700m of the 1950m mobile trot at Addington on Friday night.
There was a challenger late in the six-horse free-for-all when Alderbeck emerged late from three back on the markers to run him to a head.
But junior driver Stacey Whatuira didn’t feel comfortable releasing the removeable deafeners on the hot favourite.
“He wanted to go tonight out of the [mobile] gate so I let him go, but like a few starts ago he just got a little bit rough in his gait near the finish so I held him together,” she said.
“I’m very lucky to get on him,” said Stacey, who has only had 18 racedrives and has driven Ronald J in all of his seven wins.
Loburn trainer David Gaffaney again demonstrated his training skills by returning capable pacer Mickey Gee to the races with a smart win, first-up since April, in the rating up to 75m mobile 1950m pace.
Driver Sam Ottley eased him back to second-to-last and they produced a well-timed finish to hold late finisher and second favourite Lovetodream, who settled last, by 1¾ lengths at the finish.
Favourite Malik dashed his supporters homes by breaking in the score-up, taking no part in the race, being pulled up.
Wyndham junior driver Mark Hurrell, who has spent much of winter assisting Woodend Beach trainer Regan Todd, had a big moment when he gained his first Addington win in a nose decision with Leigh Major earlier in the night.
Hurrell, who has another week with Todd before returning south to again join Leigh Major’s Wyndham trainer Brendon McLellan, was recording his seventh career win.
