Apart from a winning post and some greenery, there are few similarities between Trentham's steeplechase course and Ellerslie's Great Northern track.
But that does not eliminate tomorrow's $50,000 Irvines McGregor Grant Steeples at Trentham as being the ideal lead-up to the Great Northern.
Nor does it divorce last year's GreatNorthern winner Wise Men Say from favouritism in tomorrow's Trentham feature.
Wise Men Say has had just one run since his major victory late last year — a minor hurdle victory. That might seem a scant preparation for a race as tough as this, but trainer Raymond Connors has a remarkable record of conditioning horses for such things.
"For him it's a case of the wetter, the better. He's not a fast horse but he's got stamina and that's his key edge," Connors said.
"But they might just go a bit quick for him around Wellington. He might need a bit more distance."
"He's still got to carry that big weight [70kg] and it's not a bad field," Connors said.
The figure eight mid-field course at Trentham is generally better footing than most steeplechase courses, but this should still be a real staying contest, particularly over the closing 500m when the field comes back onto the course proper. Recently we saw the Waikato Steeplechase won in a sprint from fifth in the run from the final fence. Look for much of the same here.
Sea King is the interesting runner. He was never a hope in the Waikato Hurdles last start, but ran a nice last 600m to be not far away. He is hugely better placed in a steeplechase and even though he has 71kg, as the winner of $790,000 he has earned that and probably a bit more.
The Big Opal is the improver and Thenamesbond is not out of the race.
The heroes of the Te Rapa meeting, The Shackler and It's A Wonder, look the dominating forces in the KS Browne Hurdles. They have the class and fitness edge on the opposition.
Despite being scheduled for the third time, the Auckland Futurity Stakes maintains the same two favourites as the abandoned previous two runnings — Ole Ole and Peaceful. The stablemates have class and Ole Ole has been unlucky not to have won at least one of his three raceday appearances.
Go back and re-watch the last-start third on this track and you will want to be on his side.
A bad barrier cost him victory in that against a smart field and this time he has the No1 gate. Peaceful has a nice gate at No3. Last start winner Cyber Attack has to be in the action and Sol Invictus is a quick improver.
