Racing: De ja vu for trotters

White Arrow has not raced this year but will line up in the cup on Friday night. Picture / Simon Baker

It is unlikely horses ever experience deja vu, but if they do, Friday night's Auckland Trotting Cup could leave a few starters feeling a bit strange.

Because not only will this be the second Auckland Cup of the season but for four of the starters it will be almost an action replay.

In an amazing coincidence second favourite Alta Serena, Napoleon, White Arrow and Presido have all drawn exactly the same barriers for Friday's classic as they did in the first Auckland Cup of the season on December 31.

The barrier draw was conducted at an Alexandra Park luncheon yesterday and while it will have little effect on the betting market it leaves Alta Serena in the same situation she was in December - starting in the middle of the front row with a South Islander as her biggest rival.

Back then it was Howard Bromac who downed Alta Serena.

On Friday night it will be Mainland Banner who is rated her biggest threat.

The latter was not part of yesterday's draw as she will start alone on the 10m mark, courtesy of her New Zealand Cup win in November.

On that occasion Mainland Banner settled back but a mid-race move from Ricky May enabled her to get to the parked out position, in front of Alta Serena, who was trapped three deep.

On Friday Alta Serena's driver Brent Mangos will undoubtedly try and stay in front of Mainland Banner, who faces the extra hassle of a capacity field standing in front of her at the start.

The TAB had Mainland Banner at $2.20 last night, with Alta Serena backed into $3.50 from her $4.50 opening quote.

While barrier draws are rarely race-deciding moments in 3200m standing starts, there were winners and losers out of yesterday's function.

Imagine That will have a few more fans after drawing barrier two, giving her a chance of reaching her favoured pacemaking role.

But Baileys Dream faces a tough first cup assignment because as an unruly pacer he had to cop a second line draw.

The race will also feature some of the more unusual build-ups to a Auckland Cup.

Presido may well be the first horse to ever go into an Auckland as the beaten last-start favourite in the Stratford Cup while Mi Muchacho will not have started in a race for almost three months.

Just as strange is White Arrow's preparation; the stayer also has not raced this season.

While he will be at long odds on Friday night his connections will already feel like winners after he sneaked into the A$2.1 million ($2.3 million) Interdominions yesterday.

White Arrow was originally the first emergency for the series which starts in Tasmania on Sunday week but is now guaranteed a start after one of the pacers ahead of him, last season's Taylor Mile runner-up Romeo's Legend, was injured in a fall on Sunday.

LUCKY SECOND?

* The second Auckland Trotting Cup of the season will be held at Alexandra Park on Friday.

* Four of the starters have drawn the same barrier as they did for the first cup on December 31.

* Mainland Banner will be favourite even from her 10m handicap.

* Canterbury pacer White Arrow, who races in the cup, sneaked into the Interdominions yesterday.