Lion Tamer unleashed

Class in thoroughbreds overcomes an awful lot.

Trainer Murray Baker is hoping Lion Tamer's sheer class can swamp the fact that he is better over much longer distances than the 1400m of tomorrow's $200,000 Makfi Challenge Stakes.

And there are several pointers that lean towards that being possible.

Lion Tamer has a very good record when fresh and you can't get much fresher than having not raced since winning the Victoria Derby last spring.

But Lion Tamer showed a surprising level of fitness with a very smart barrier trial win at Te Teko several weeks ago.

"That was a good trial because he was four and five wide most of the way and was strong on the line," said Baker yesterday.

Lion Tamer won his first race, a juvenile event at Pukekohe. You can't gauge much from his next fresh-up run when two horses fell in front of him at Te Rapa and put him out of contention. But he won his next start.

"His second-up run last campaign was in the Ming Dynasty at Randwick and he came from last on the turn to win," said Baker.

That victory was on heavy ground and the question tomorrow will be whether Lion Tamer can make up a similar amount of ground if he gets a long way back.

Predictions are for a track on the better side of slow on which local trainer Patrick Campbell predicts the Makfi field will run the 1400m in something like 1m 23s.

Lion Tamer will be ridden for the third time by Michael Coleman, who finished ninth on him in the Manawatu Sires Produce then won Ellerslie's Champagne Stakes.

The No1 barrier draw is probably not ideal if Lion Tamer is going to get back in running, but he was able to sit on the speed in the Te Teko trial.APNZ