Don’t sleep on Illicit Love in Metro Final
Garrick Knight - Raceform • October 30th, 2025 3:10 PM
While he may not have the immediate winning form of a couple of his adversaries, Illicit Love’s trainer thinks he’s a leading contender this Friday night.
The three-year-old square-gaiter tackles the $35,000 TAB Northern Metro Trotters Final at Alexandra Park and a strong field has been assembled.
Fellow sophomores Higher Power and Youneverknow are both two-for-two on new campaigns and will start as the favoured runners, but Illicit Love’s eye-catching second behind the former last week was noteworthy. It came after he missed away and settled in the back half of the field.
“Crystal (Hackett, driver) said he was gawking around, looking at the clerk of the course and lost his concentration,” said co-trainer Michelle Wallis. “But his run after that was excellent. We are pretty happy with him, and he seems really good.”
Wallis and husband Bernie Hackett’s daughter Crystal will drive Illicit Love again this week, and fresh in their memory is what happened just three starts ago, before his winter spell.
“We’ve beaten Youneverknow before – in that last run of his last campaign – and this week we get a 10-metre advantage on him. So, as long as we step away well, I think we are in with a good chance this week.”
Two of Illicit Love’s owners – Ken and Karen Breckon and Richard Cole – have two slots between them in the upcoming $500,000 Ascent slot race at Addington, a race they won last year with Keayang Zahara.
Wallis said if Illicit Love was on the shortlist for his owners to represent them, she was in the dark, but a trip south for the New Zealand Trotting Derby a week later was definitely a consideration.
“I haven’t talked to Ken and Richard about it, and I am in two minds about a trip away. On one hand, I think it would be the making of the horse, but on the other, he’s probably not a winning chance at this stage. Though, with the right run, I could definitely see him in the money.
“The Derby and the Oaks are on the same night, so Ya Rite Darl and Habibti Pat wouldn’t be there.”
The Breckons and Cole have other three-year-olds that they bred and part-own to consider for The Ascent, namely Pretty In Pink (who is also in this week’s Metro Final), Ocean Eyes and Higher Power.
Wallis believes Illicit Love has open-class potential in the long run.
“He’ll go to the top, I think, provided he keeps improving as we expect.”
A couple of reliable stable favourites resume from spells on Friday night in Halberg and Travellin Soldier.
“I don’t think Halberg’s fresh-up record is that crash-hot. He’s had two trials, and they’ve been just okay, but he never performs at the trials. He’ll improve with the run this week.
“Hillbilly Blues is pretty forward and with the re-handicapping, slots into that race pretty nicely.”
Rounding out their team is Courmayeur, who goes around in the same race as Halberg and brings four minor placings into it as her recent form line.
“She’s trotting solidly and will pick another one up sooner or later.”
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