Trainer John Dickie admits he may be having "a throw at the stumps" with Old Town Road at Cambridge tomorrow but he also wouldn't be surprised if he hit.
Dickie has put his stable star in against multiple group one winners Krug and Belle Of Montana in the $25,000 Cliff Thomas Mobile even though Old Town Road has had only five career starts.
He has won four of those showing the speed of a future open class horse but Dickie admits he didn't initially expect Krug, who finished third in the NZ Free-For-All two starts ago, to be in tomorrow's field.
"I thought Krug wasn't still around for this race but never mind, he is there and even if we don't beat him this is a good guide to where our horse is at," says Dickie.
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Advertise with NZME."I knew under the preferential draws would we get the ace, which can be really important over a sprint at Cambridge so that will help.
"And there wasn't really another race for him. I wanted to give him 10 days off after this so it will give us a really good idea of where we stand." Beating some of New Zealand's better pacers at his sixth start may ultimately prove too big an ask for Old Town Road tonight but if he can lead, or more likely trail, the passing lane is an enormous advantage at Cambridge.
"This is a really good horse, the best pacer I have trained. So we will know more one way or the other after this race," says Dickie.
The first job for new driver David Butcher will be to get Old Town Road away quickly and if he can't lead he at least trails a horse likely to stay in front. Then the shape of the race could be determined by what Todd Mitchell does having his first drive on Krug.
If he gets urgent early then he may have the speed and respect to get the lead and that would almost certainly be race over. Krug could also win sitting parked but it would be a far less comfortable watch for punters.
The Brian and Gareth Hughes-trained pair of The Honey Queen and Hot And Treacherous can both win, especially if the former leads and hands to her stablemate giving them the lead-trail scenario.
So the race has plenty of variables with the 1700m giving those drawn out wide a far fairer run to the first bend.
Dickie also finds himself with a high-class horse but up against it in tonight's $25,000 Charlie Hunter Trot.
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Advertise with NZME.Paramount King has been an Inter Dominion heat winner and national record holder for the stable but has had an interrupted past few seasons, returning with a luckless third off a 45m handicap in a race he could never win last start.
Dickie says Paramount King will be going forward at the start to stay within striking distance of favourites Bolt For Brilliance and Temporale.
"We have to try and get in front of them at least early and I am not really expecting him to beat Bolt For Brilliance," says Dickie.
