Racing: Erratic mare the enigma of Rowe Cup

Phil Williamson will try something new in the Rowe Cup tomorrow night - driving a horse with his fingers crossed.

The Oamaru horseman isn't usually superstitious but he knows he is going to need all the luck he can muster to get Allegro Agitato home first in the $100,000 culmination to the open class trotting season.

Allegro Agitato is one of the most talented trotters in Australasia.

She is also nervous and claustrophobic, which is not ideal when you consider she is going to sandwiched between 14 other horses at Alexandra Park tomorrow night.

Because of her unruly status she will have to start in the middle of the second line tomorrow night, with a 10m barrier strand right behind her.

Williamson knows that places their chances on a knife edge.

"If she trots away with them she has to be a huge show because we know how good she is.

"But she has only had one standing start this season, in the Dominion Handicap and she tried to go the other way at the start.

"She hates being stuck in amongst the other horses so if the starter brings them into line and we go straight away we might be fine.

"If she has to stand around then we could have a lot of problems."

While Allegro Agitato doesn't have the manners of some of her rivals tomorrow night she does have another advantage because at least she is in form.

While tomorrow night's race contains some great trotters many of them are racing below their best, as evidenced by the pathetic lead-up last Friday when five of our best trotters galloped.

If Allegro Agitato can step away she only has to race up to the form that saw her crush Lyell Creek and Sumthingaboutmaori in the opening heat of the Interdominions back on March 4 to be the horse to beat.

"I think physically she is at least as good now as she was then," said Williamson.

Allegro Agitato is being kept safe by bookies, who opened her at $6.50 yesterday, a reflection of the dilemma facing punters as they try to balance her ability with her lack of standing start manners.

Victory tomorrow night would cap a dream season for Williamson, who emerged from North Otago obscurity a few years ago to become one of the most feared trainers of trotters in New Zealand.

This season he has taken that to a new level.

Jasmyn's Gift's win in the New Zealand Trotting Championship last month has resulted in her rivalling Allegro Agitato as the stable star.

He also has two of our better three-year-old trotters, Lord's Invasion and One Over Kenny, who start in tomorrow night's $50,000 Great Northern Trotting Derby.

"Lord's Invasion is a lovely horse but he might still be six months away from the best of his age but One Over Kenny is a great filly.

"She has won eight of 11 and she might be the best horse I have had.

"I know it is early to say that but she is a great stayer."

One Over Kenny is the fixed odds favourite for tomorrow night's race even though she has to overcome a second line draw and the highly-rated trio of Tozzie, Harriet Hughes and George Castleton.

"The draw won't help but she will love the 2700m so I am still confident.

"If we could pull one of these races off, let alone both of them, it would be like a dream because this season really has been unreal."

Fingers crossed.

False start

* The $100,000 Rowe Cup is the feature of a huge night of harness racing at Alexandra Park tomorrow night.

* The race will be the last in the career of Lyell Creek.

* Allegro Agitato is one of the favourites but is having only her second standing start race this season.

* She blew the last one, in the Dominion Handicap.