Smiling Shard ran a 3.7sec faster time than Courage To Rule when the New Zealand-trained pair qualified for the $100,000 New South Wales Derby at Menangle on Friday night with heat wins there yesterday.
Smiling Shard, trained at West Melton by Cran Dalgety and driven by Dexter Dunn, rated 1.56.1 for the 2300m (mobile) yesterday.
He was forced wide early before taking the lead and won by half a head from Chariot King.
For A Reason rated 1.55.3 in the fourth and final heat which lowered the track record set by Smiling Shard.
For A Reason won by six and a-quarter lengths.
He is an Art Major colt trained by Luke McCarthy.
Renaissance Man won the other heat in a 1.57.8 rate.
Courage To Rule, driven by Greg Bennett, rated 1.58.7 when he won by a length.
Courage To Rule, trained at Papakura by John Green and Brian Hughes, won the Victoria Derby with Bennett the driver.
Captain Joy won the Victoria-NSW Derby double last year.
New Zealand-trained horses have won seven of the last 13 NSW Derbies, with Gotta Go Cullen the most recent in 2007. Royal Verdict won a heat of the Australian Pacing Gold series for 2yr-old colts and geldings yesterday in 1.55 for the mile.
Royal Verdict is by the American stallion Dawn Ofa New Day.
The $A300,000 final of the series is on Friday night.
Smiling Shard flew to Sydney last Friday with stablemate Bettor's Strike, who is in the $100,000 Len Smith Mile at Menangle this Friday night.
Dalgety is booked to travel to Sydney on Thursday.
• Brendon Hill, the Kaiapoi trainer, has decided to campaign his in-form team in Auckland over the next few weeks.
He sent Harley Earl north last Friday.
Other members of the stable, Baileys Dream, Ultimate Player and Marissima, are booked to travel this Friday.
"We decided with the way the team was going and the money on offer we would take the opportunity," Hill said.
The decision was also influenced by the availability of stable driver Ricky May.
Ultimate Player and Marissima both won at Addington last Friday.
Harley Earl was a last-start winner at Addington.
Baileys Dream ran third to Sleepy Tripp and Bettor's Strike in the Easter Cup after starting from 15m.
He had won at Addington a week earlier.
He ran third to stablemate Monkey King and Tintin In America in the Auckland Cup last month.
He won a workout at Rangiora on Saturday in 3.22.7 for 2600m, the last 8700m in 56.7.
May will be in Auckland on Friday night to drive Harley Earl and Stylish Monarch, last-start winner of the New Zealand Trotting Championship at Addington.
Stylish Monarch is off 30m in a discretionary handicap.
Stylish Monarch, who gave Levels trainer Murray Tapper his first group one win, travelled to Auckland last week in the care of stable junior driver Samantha Ottley.
The Monarchy gelding is based at the Papakura stable of Richard Brosnan.
The Invercargill-trained Vi Et Animo is a rival for Harley Earl in a discretionary handicap.
Vi Et Animo won the Invercargill last month for the stable of Gil and Brent Shirley.
Vi Et Animo is based at Hamilton with Todd Mitchell, who will drive the horse on Friday.
"We will just have to see how he handles the track on Friday.
There is the Taylor Mile, Messanger and Harness Jewels for him on the circuit," Brent Shirley said.
• Lionel's Meddle set a track record for 3200m when he won the Winton Cup in 4.04.6 on Saturday.
It was the seventh win for Lionel's Meddle, owned by Wayne and Una Sparks and trained by Robert Dunn.
• Meredith Maguire, who won a workout in 2.28 for 2000m (mobile) at Rangiora on Saturday, is in a heat of the Sires' Stakes at Addington on Friday night.
She won a heat in 1.55.7 for the mile at Ashburton in February and finished second to Anvil On Fire in a heat at Addington on March 19 at her last start.
