Hurdlers in spotlight

Palmerston North trainer Mike Boyd sees Prince Zidane as the pick of his four starters in the $5000 New Zealand Championship Hurdles, feature event at the Wairarapa Greyhound Racing Club's meeting at Solway Showgrounds next Monday.
Boyd was impressed by the zip shown by Prince Zidane in his heat win on December 19 and has deliberately kept him on the fresh side since then.
"He's very keen right now and providing he traps well I think he is the one to beat," Boyd said. "He's got as much pace on the flat as any of them and there's nothing wrong with his jumping either. He has to be a big chance."
Success in the Championshp Hurdles would be nothing new for Boyd who has won on the event on three previous occasions with Wander Wadderin, Our Patch and Gone Troppo.The latter took the honours 12 months ago and will be back to defend his title this time round and Boyd says a repeat effort is a realistic possibility.
"He (Gone Troppo) has been troubled a bit lately with weight and injury problems, but we're on top of those now and you can expect to see improvement from him," he said. "He's probably the best jumper in the field but age is catching up with him and he doesn't have quite the same dash on the flat these days.He's still as tough as nails though and if it comes down to a battle royal he'll be in his element."
In Aranuijazz Boyd will have the youngest runner in the huurdles and after winning his last two starts at Solway with strong front-running efforts he will probably dispute favouritism with Prince Zidane.
Boyd seeds Aranajuijazz's prospects depending on two things; a quick beginning and safe jumping.
"He probably needs to lead to win it and he's not always the most reliable of fencers, he can mix things up there a bit," he said. "But if everything goes his way he can win, no doubt about that."
The outsider of Boyd's four finalists is Kotuku Aranui but while the trainer agrees he deserves that ranking he wouldn't be the least surprised to see him featuring prominently in the finish.
"There won't be many coming on stronger over the final stages and it'll just depend on how handy he can keep to the leaders in the early part," Boyd said of Kotuku Aranui." If he's within a couple of lengths of them making the home bend he could make it very interesting".
The Boyd-trained quartet won't get everything their own way in the Championship Hurdles, however, with any one of the other four runners-Chippewa Brave, Shaka Malawi, Miss Cheeky and Our Mick- capable of causing an upset.
Perhaps the best of them is Chippewa Brave who won his heat in impressive fashion and seems to have a liking for the Solway track. He would be especially dangerous if he happened to find the lead early in the piece as he is an accomplished front runner.
Shaka Malawi generally gets back early and runs on well and a soft track would be to his advantage while Miss Cheeky and Our Mick provide the Wairarapa interest.
Miss Cheeky, a daughter of triple group one winner Dusty Fog, is prepared by Matthew Gardner while his mother Shayne puts the polish on Our Mick. Both these greyhounds will be at long odds for they are relative newcomers to the jumping game but both have the pace on the flat to make a nuisance of themselves.
Interestingly enough Mike Boyd sees Our Mick as perhaps the main danger to his four runners. "That fellow is getting stronger all the time and if there's to be an upset he might just be the one," he said.
Two other features on the racing programme will be the final of the Gobis series for New Zealand-bred greyhounds and the running of the very first Inter-Provincial Challenge, a class two and three middle distance event which will be contested by representatives of the various greyhound racing regions in the country.
GOBIS FINAL
Wairarapa club president Owen Marron will produce the favourite for the Gobis final in Tighnabruich who was a decisive winner of his heat and is still on the improve.However, he is no past-the-post proposition because of his tendancy to look for the rail.. Greyhounds of that ilk are always apt to find traffic problems.
Back to defend the title he won last year is Cruzmore who was second behind Tighnabruich in the heats, a superb effort considering her preparation had been badly hindered by injury problems. She has a ton of early speed and another all-the-way victory is well within his capabilities.
Marron will have a decent second stringer in the form of Scandinavian, who seems to reserve his best runs for Solway, and another trainer with two finalists is Upper Hutt's Dannny Meates. His smart bitch Upahut Rose actually ran faster than Tighnabruich when winning her heat while Upahut Axion lacks early speed but generally finds the line well.
Speedy Waikato visitor Keen Precision is not without a chance either and what should be a very competitive Gobis final is completed by the Lya Fornaisere-trained pair Dusty Nero and Astro Nerone, both of whom have been in good form of late.
CHALLENGE RACE
Just which region each of the eight runners in the Inter-Provincial Challenge are representing will be highlighted by the colour of the rugby jersey their handlers arewearing.
At the time these notes were penned the composition of the field was unclear but it was hoped the race would attract greyhounds trained from the bulk of the greyhound racing regions??.Otago- Southland, Canterbury, Wellington, Wairarapa, Manawatu, Taranaki, Wanganui, Waikato and Auckland.It will carry a stake of $6000.
Apart from the prize money which goes to the first three placegetters a bonus of $500, plus a trophy, will be forwarded onto the club operating in the province represented by the winning greyhound.
Monday's meeting will also see trainers competing for two trophies, one based on the number of points aggregated over the 10-race programme (five for a win, three for second and two for third) and the other on strike rate. Trainers will need to have a minimum of four runners to be eligible for the latter.
Away from the race track there will be plenty of entertainment available for younger folk on what is being promoted as a "day out for the whole family".