KEY POINTS:
Changeover couldn't pick a better time to break his Alexandra Park drought than tonight.
The rangy pacer gets his chance to cement his position as our best 3-year-old pacer in tonight's $50,000 Elsu Classic, a race trainer Geoff Small would love to win for many reasons, one them being it is named after his former champion.
But there is a far more serious reason Small wants Changeover to win tonight.
The exceptional pacer is at the centre of an investigation into an irregular post-race swab since winning the Sires' Stakes Final at Addington on November 14.
Traces of caffeine were found in the swab and Small and Changeover's owners are waiting for the results of the testing of the B-sample of that swab before knowing whether they may lose the race.
While Small is adamant no performance enhancing substance was knowingly given to Changeover, a fact expected to be borne out by the official investigation, he knows the stigma of any investigation.
"We all got a hell of a shock and I feel terrible for the owners because we didn't do anything wrong," said Small.
"But we have to put that behind us for the mean time and I'd love to see him come out and show people just how good he is again tonight.
"I don't want anybody doubting him because of what happened, because they shouldn't."
Changeover may face a tougher test tonight than he did when setting a national record in the Sires' Stakes because his long-striding style is better suited to the larger Addington track.
In five starts at Alexandra Park he has just two placings but those attempts were as an immature juvenile last season.
Since then he has developed mentally and physically while his reputation could also prove useful tonight.
While admitting tonight's 2200m race is a different sort of test to racing at Addington, Small is convinced Changeover is ready to put his Alexandra Park hoodoo behind him.
"He hasn't been to the workouts since Addington but his work at home has been enormous," he explains. "He is fit and jumping out of his skin so I know he is ready to go a big one."
Changeover does face the likelihood of having to come around Gotta Go Cullen tonight, in a race which gives the latter a chance to regain some lost glory.
While he has won just once in his last six starts Gotta Go Cullen has gone some enormous races and looks near certain to lead for new driver Todd Mitchell tonight.
If he can control the early and middle stages of the race he will be extremely hard to catch.
Fergiemack played second fiddle to Gotta Go Cullen last season, then filled that role again behind Changeover at Addington last start. He faces a tricky task to turn the tables tonight.
The dynamic speedster has drawn one on the second line and will need luck or some intense mid-race pressure on the leaders to win.
An interesting runner is Ebony Gem, who dropped out in last Friday's lead-up race after a torrid first-lap speed duel with Gotta Go Cullen.
If he is back to his best he can surprise from barrier one but it is hard to calculate what last week's horror show did for his confidence.
* Elsu Classic odds: $2.30 Changeover; $3.50 Gotta Go Cullen; $3.80 Fergiemack; $10 Ebony Gem; $18 Days Of Courage, Another Creation; $26 Zenad; $31 Revamy; $61 Cast Adrift.
