By Michael Guerin
The mindset of just one rival driver could determine whether Lazarus enjoys an effortless New Zealand Cup warm up at Kaikoura today.
The country’s best pacer is the $1.18 bookies favourite for the $50,000 Kaikoura Cup, his final race before his New Zealand Cup defence in 15 days.
After two wins as as many starts this campaign and without stablemates Dream About Me, Have Faith In Me and Heaven Rocks among his six rivals today, anything but a victory for Lazarus would surprise and cause a shift in the New Zealand Cup market.
But for all its beauty, the Kaikoura track can be a nightmare for punters as it’s flat bends enormously favour leaders and plenty of good horses have had their journey to the New Zealand Cup run aground at Kaikoura.
Today that snag could be Titan Banner, a former stablemate of Lazarus racing in wonderful form now back with former trainer Graeme Anderson. Titan Banner led in the middle stages and parked Dream About Me to win the Methven Cup two weeks ago and has the standing start manners to attempt the same today.
He is very quick from a standing start and could be the first of the favoured pair to the markers. Then the question of the race will be asked.
Will his driver Dexter Dunn want to stay in front and run hard over the 2400m or will he be happy to concede that role to Lazarus should trainer-driver Mark Purdon come knocking, knowing there are richer targets in the weeks ahead?
If the answer is the latter Lazarus’s army of punters should be in for an easy ride as the champ has never been run past in a race, so if he leads he wins.
But if Titan Banner parks him out then those taking the short odds could be in for an uncomfortable last lap.
As much as Lazarus is probably two, maybe more, lengths better than Titan Banner, around Kaikoura the $1.18 is too short because of that question alone.
Northerners Better B Amazed and No Doctor Needed have drawn wide and probably need fast beginnings to be factors in the race whereas the remaining two Purdon-
Rasmussen pacers Waikiki Beach and Piccadilly Princess are still very much on the way up.
The Cup isn’t the only feature today in which Dunn might play catch me if you can as he pilots free-goer Bordeaux in the $30,000 South Bay Trotters Cup.
The bold chestnut is sticking to standing start races heading into the Dominion on November 17 and win this race last year with step and run tactics.
With the open class trotting ranks a mess without Monbet and Speeding Spur, Bordeaux has the chance over the summer to bank some serious coin if he can stay sound and keep his manners intact and victory today would earn him valuable respect for Cup week.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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