Racing: Gotta Go off to Addington

You can add a new weapon to Gotta Go Cullen's awesome arsenal - great traveller.

The pacing sensation who has terrorised northern juveniles this season makes his Addington debut in the Welcome Stakes tonight up against one of the hottest two-year-old fields in years.

He takes on glamour colt Mombassa, pacing professional Flak Jacket, stunning Ready To Run triallist Niraadi and class acts Days Of Courage, Jackson Street and Fergiemack.

In a field of that quality even the slightest drop off in Gotta Go Cullen's form would make him vulnerable in tonight's $50,000 sprint so how he handled his first major trip away from home was crucial.

The news for his rivals is all bad. "He travelled unbelievably well," said trainer Sue Martin.

"It was a long trip with a rough ferry crossing but he never batted an eyelid. I was stunned how well he has settled in."

Gotta Go Cullen is staying at Robert Cameron's magnificent training complex - which raises two small concerns for Martin.

The first is having Gotta Go Cullen away from his natural beach training environment and the second is the colt's libido.

"He has been pretty excited to see all the fillies and mares on the property and is feeling full of himself," said Martin. "But that won't bother him racenight."

Martin says being away from the beach shouldn't be a concern as Gotta Go Cullen will not need to do any serious work this week, having won so easily at Cambridge last Friday and then travelled down.

"It was only a last-minute decision to come down because his win last week took nothing out of him.

"He weighed exactly the same after the race as he did before it."

That confidence in the camp will allow driver Nicole Thorn to adopt her usual take-no-prisoners tactics with Gotta Go Cullen, even from barrier six tonight.

Unlike when he races in the north it may not be a case of simply strolling to the front though, with so many talented horses with big reputation inside him.

If he does get the lead easily the race is almost certainly his. But if a horse like Flak Jacket makes him work hard or even parks him out then maybe Mombassa will get his chance to upstage the northerner.

Mombassa was enormous winning against older maidens last start and looks the real deal. But he lacks Gotta Go Cullen's experience and is maybe a length behind him in raw ability.

He does, however, have plenty of X-factor so deserves to be second favourite.

The field has so much depth almost any of the others could place without surprising.

The race could even be the highlight of an amazing night's harness racing, with the trotters also racing for group one glory.

Allegro Agitato should win the New Zealand Trotting Championship while the big three of Houdini Star, Brite Speed and Galleons Assassin dominate the Trotting Derby.

All three have looked brilliant at different stages of the season but Houdini Star has a tricky draw so Galleons Assassin may end up being the one to beat.