Pacy pair ready to do battle

Essentially all horse racing is about sectional speed.

But it's a long time since we have seen a major race which will be more about sectionals than tomorrow's $200,000 Waikato Draught WFA Sprint at Te Rapa.

It comes down to: can the super-fast Mufhasa tear along in front at such a rate that outstanding mare Guiseppina simply cannot run the final 400m quickly enough to pick him up.

Watching a race where a Black Caviar is so spectacular she simply runs the opposition into the ground is magnificent.

Neither Mufhasa nor Guiseppina are Black Caviars, but the chance to view two magnificent racehorses of their capabilities try to match each other is sublime.

When it comes to speed, Mufhasa is supreme - he either makes his own or he sits outside the pacemaker and is relentless to the finish.

The winner of $2,734,767 has tackled this Te Rapa race three times for a win in 2009, running the 1400m in 1:22.54, a third in 2010 when he had his "off" year and a win last year, when he ran a brilliant 1:21.09.

If Mufhasa were to run that time again it would be more than enough to burn off almost any opposition, but Guiseppina isn't just any opposition, she is truly remarkable. As she showed in her Telegraph win last start, she has a withering final sprint and she can produce it off any speed.

In fact, the faster the leaders go, the better she can power home.

"Both our mare and Mufhasa have won at 1400m in 1:21 and a bit, so it's going to be a fascinating contest," said Guiseppina's co-trainer Steven Ramsay.

"He's a great horse and although it would be terrific to beat him, there will be no disgrace in finishing second to him."

There were two potential factors that could have worked against Guiseppina - the unique Te Rapa track, which the mare has not raced on, and rain-affected footing. The Guiseppina team eliminated the first of those with an exhibition gallop at Te Rapa last week; James McDonald indicated that the mare managed the conditions beautifully.

However, significant showers would seriously undermine her - Guiseppina needs very firm ground to produce her best.

"A few late showers" is the Hamilton forecast for today, with "a few showers" tomorrow.

The extent of those will be the key. "Any significant moisture wouldn't be good for us either," said Mufhasa's trainer Stephen McKee. "When the track starts to get affected it means the pace horses have to come away from the rail late in the race and that isn't ideal for Mufhasa's style of racing. We'd definitely prefer a good, dry track."

Mufhasa has not raced since December 3, but many of his best races have been when he's on the fresh side.

He looked in great shape galloping between races at Te Rapa last week, carrying a heavy exercise saddle and running 1000m in a tick over 60 seconds.