Natalie Young and husband Trent Busuttin have high hopes for Interlinked, a three-year-old gelding bred in New Zealand. They think the son of Savabeel and Daisy Chain could be a trailblazer who will start a new trend among the best Australian-trained horses.
Even though Interlinked was moved to Victoria, the prize money on offer in New Zealand enticed his camp to take him back to NZ. The Kiwi-bred horse will compete in the NZ$175,000 Eagle Technology Avondale Guineas at Ellerslie on Saturday in preparation for the NZ$1 million Trackside NZ Derby that will take place on March 2.
The Money Would Have to Be There
Trent Busuttin predicted that with the way New Zealand racing was going, more Australian-trained horses would come to New Zealand to race. Speaking from a trainer’s perspective, Busuttin said that trainers and owners would always be attracted when good money was put up.
He added that top NZ races, such as the Karak Millions and the NZB Kiwi Slot race, would soon welcome the crème de la crème of Australian horse racing, provided the money would continue to be there. Busuttin could think of about 90 Australian races that were worth A$1 million or more at the moment.
The Trackside NZ Derby Is on the Cards Too
And while Interlinked still has a lot of room for improvement, there was no doubt in Busuttin’s mind that the horse will only become better. Even now, he described him as a genuine stayer who kept his own against older horses at The Valley.
Busuttin said he watched the Waikato Guineas a fortnight ago and could see that it was a “very even crop,” as the first five finished with only a length over them. So, they decided to compete in the Eagle Technology Avondale Guineas at Ellerslie, and if all went well, Interlinked would tackle the Derby too.
The favourite to win the Guineas is Orchestral, who won the TAB Karaka Millions and is priced at $1.80, while Interlinked is given odds of $15.
