Racing: Brilliant Bailey faces driver crisis

Baileys Dream could be left driverless even after winning the Easter Cup.

The four-year-old pacer lived up to his huge reputation by coming from near last to down stablemates Mighty Cullen and Imagine That in the $100,000 group one event at Addington on Saturday night.

It was his first major win this season and the most impressive performance of his career as he showed blistering speed to loop the field four wide at the 600m mark before bolting clear at the top of the straight.

But while the victory stamped him as a New Zealand Cup winner of the future he will return home to Auckland this week struggling to find a pilot for his next outing.

Because he handled Saturday night's race so well Baileys Dream is likely to start in the $100,000 Taylor Mile at Alexandra Park on Friday week, a race he was originally going to miss.

That means a clash with Mainland Banner, whose regular driver Ricky May was Baileys Dream's surprise partner on Saturday night.

May is sure to stick with Mainland Banner and the Baileys Dream drive would be expected to revert to regular reinsman Todd Mitchell, who is the stable driver for trainer Steven Reid.

But Mitchell may be committed to the stable's outstanding three-year-old Monkey King, who is to be aimed at the A$100,000 New South Wales Derby in Sydney that night.

"I don't know what we are going to do about that," admitted Reid yesterday.

"We weren't going to start Bailey in the Taylor Mile but he has come through the race so well we will probably have a crack at it now.

"Because we hadn't planned it I never really thought about the two races clashing."

Reid will consult owner Robert Famularo about the driving conundrum and it could be that Darren Hancock, who will drive Monkey King in his New South Wales Derby prelude this Friday, stays on for the final.

While Reid has that immediate hassle he was preferring to think long-term yesterday - all the way to the second Tuesday in November.

Saturday night's win proved what Reid has always believed, that Baileys Dream is a New Zealand Trotting Cup horse.

He showed by sitting back off the hot pace that he can unleash the sort of sprint needed to win New Zealand's biggest race and won't get many better chances than next season.

Not only is the New Zealand open class pacing scene the weakest it has been in years but three of our best pacers - Mainland Banner, Howard Bromac and Mi Muchacho - will be off 10m handicaps in next season's cup.

That leaves a very average bunch of front line horses, with very few genuine stars emerging as open class contenders in the next year.

"Obviously it is a race we would love to win and that will be the big aim," said Reid.

"He will start in the Taylor then the Messenger [May 5] and then have a spell."

With the cup in mind Reid is likely to apply to have Baileys Dream taken off the unruly, meaning he would get a true 10m advantage in the big one in November.

"It is pretty exciting to have a real cup hope in the stable and while it is a long way away I am thinking he might even be a better horse by then."

Reid admits he was surprised by the sprint Baileys Dream showed on Saturday night but he once again proved that, with the open class scene so even, Mainland Banner is its only member good enough to work hard in a big race and still win.

Hot favourite Mi Muchacho tried that Saturday night, being sent forward to lead in the middle stages by Peter Ferguson, but he was beaten at the top of the straight.

His connections will at least take some heart that the mighty grey pacer appeared to handle the left-handed track better than he ever has before but his performance was a reminder just how hard it is going to be for horses like him and Howard Bromac to give Baileys Dream a 10m start come November.

Mi Muchacho's sixth means Howard Bromac is certain to win the prestigious Aged Pacer of the Year award, a title the Waikato pacer could have wrested from him with victory on Saturday night.

Baileys Dream's win completed a feature-race double for May, who earlier in the night partnered Allegro Agitato to win the main trot.

The glamour mare only just got home over Toomuch To Do but did herself no favours by pulling hard in the middle stages.

Allegro Agitato's stablemate Lets Get Serious won the night's other main race for four-year-old trotters while Dudinka's Cullen confirmed his trip north for the Taylor Mile-Messenger double with a winning comeback.

Dream result

* Baileys Dream captured his first open class win in the $100,000 Easter Cup.

* He will need a new driver next start though as Saturday night's reinsman Ricky May is committed to Taylor Mile rival Mainland Banner.

* Baileys Dream's long-term aim is the New Zealand Cup in November.

* Allegro Agitato, Lets Get Serious and Dudinka's Cullen were others to shine on Saturday night.