Gotta Go Cullen ready to prove doubters wrong

Nicole Thorn uttered the words Gotta Go Cullen fans crave and Australian bookies dread when assessing the great pacer's chances in tomorrow's Breeders Crown juvenile final in Ballarat.

The Kiwi pacing superstar left his army of supporters scratching their heads and bookies licking their lips when he suffered his first defeat for 10 starts in a semifinal of this series on Tuesday.

Gotta Go Cullen arrived in Australia rated one of the greatest freshman pacers produced in New Zealand but a lacklustre win at Moonee Valley eight days ago and Tuesday's defeat have seen him roundly panned in Australia.

So far has been his fall from grace that one Australian bookmaking firm offered $4 for tomorrow's race even though Gotta Go Cullen has drawn almost perfectly at barrier four.

That price is greatly inflated because Australian superstar Lombo Pocket Watch is in the field - albeit starting from the inside of the second line.

He won his semifinal in moderate fashion on Tuesday but such is the hype surrounding the youngster he was rated as short as $1.40 by Australian bookmakers.

There can be no doubting there is little between the pair at their best but with the barrier draws massively favouring Gotta Go Cullen, the question punters need to ask is whether the Kiwi hero is back to his best.

Driver Thorn says he is.

"I think he can be as good on Sunday as he was when he won the Juvenile Championship," she said of Gotta Go Cullen's amazing Alexandra Park victory in June.

Thorn believes Gotta Go Cullen was badly in need of the run when he won his Australian debut last week and was not suited by being locked away in the trail in his semifinal on Tuesday.

"The only reason he was even able to finish second was because he is so good," offers Thorn. "But pulled that hard any other horse would have been gone a long way from home.

"Had he not pulled I am sure he would have won and everybody would be talking about him differently."

Gotta Go Cullen paraded looking very fit and unharmed by his long season on Tuesday and Thorn says physically he is as fit as when he won the Juvenile Championship.

That being the case it is going to take something freakish from Lombo Pocket Watch, or any other rival, to beat him in the feature event of tomorrow's Breeders Crown meeting.

Gotta Go Cullen has the gate speed to work forward from barrier four and looks well suited by the big Ballarat track.

"I'd like to think we could lead and if we do then I'll keep rolling and try and turn it into a staying race," Thorn said.

"If we do that and Lombo Pocket Watch is good enough to beat us then there isn't much we can do about it."

Even if Gotta Go Cullen does get beaten Lombo Pocket Watch is going to be every bit as good as his reputation and record suggest to win from his horror draw.

The clash is just one of six group one races at tomorrow's meeting, two of which look near certain to provide New Zealand-trained winners.

The hottest Kiwi favourite should be Galleon's Assassin, who is looking for a double in the trotting section after winning the 2-year-old trot last year.

He has been beating open class trotters in recent racing yet drops to an average age group race tomorrow.

That coupled with him drawing barrier three should ensure him of victory.

Facing a bigger task but with lengths more ability than her rivals is One Dream, who starts from the outside of the second line in the A$284,000 ($338,000) 2-year-old fillies event.

She was unbelievable after an early gallop in her semifinal on Tuesday and even allowing for the great depth of the 2-year-old crop she should win in a final that also contains Kiwi fillies Top Tempo and Shez Spicey.

Other New Zealand finalists are After The Reckoning in the 3-year-old colts and geldings event and Western Dream and Rowan Maggie in the 3-year-old fillies event.

Brilliant Babies

Gotta Go Cullen
Trainer: Sue Martin, Pakiri Beach.
Driver: Nicole Thorn.
Record: 13 starts, 10 wins, three placings. $209,690 in stakes.

Lombo Pocket Watch
Trainer: Paul Fitzpatrick, NSW.
Driver: Gavin Fitzpatrick.
Record: 17 starts, 16 wins, one did not finish. A$463,455 in stakes.