Racing: Long-range double on cards

Devil Dodger will be hard to beat. Photo / Richard Robinson

Vastly differing draws have left questions marks over the heads of star stablemates Devil Dodger and Courage To Rule this weekend.

The South Auckland 3-year-olds race 3000km apart this weekend: Devil Dodger at Alexandra Park tonight and Courage To Rule in the Queensland Derby tomorrow night.

Both will have to overcome concerns about where they will end up in the running in their staying features.

Devil Dodger faces his first standing start in the handicap pace tonight and co-trainer Brian Hughes admits he has no idea what to expect from the Harness Jewels runner-up.

"He has never seen the tapes before," says Hughes.

"I give all my horses standing practice at home but that is far different from race night.

"I think he should be all right but I really couldn't be totally confident."

Making the task even trickier for Devil Dodger is the fact he has drawn the inside of the front line, meaning he will have to come into line first and he could be standing for quite some time as the field contains rivals racing off four different marks.

If he does step away on terms, Devil Dodger should win because he has developed into a high-class pacer who looks destined for open class.

But there is one other catch.

He is using tonight's race as a build-up to an Australasian Breeders Crown heat at Alexandra Park in two weeks so will not be screwed down this evening. "He definitely won't be at his peak," says Hughes.

"If he steps away well that may not matter but if he is slow he won't be charging around them in the middle stages because he is not ready for that."

That leaves punters in a precipitous position - it is hard to back against Devil Dodger but taking very short odds would not be wise.

He is aided by the fact that his most dangerous rival, Jonny English, is fresh up tonight and could find that hard to overcome over 2700m.

While Devil Dodger has worries with an inside draw tonight, Courage To Rule has drawn the outside of the front line in the A$100,000 Queensland Derby in Brisbane.

And making that draw even worse, hot favourite For A Reason has drawn perfectly at barrier two, alongside his quasi-stablemate Motu Crusader.

The McCarthy-trained pair produced two stunning runs to defeat Courage To Rule in the Gold Coast Derby last Friday and drawn inside him it is hard to see how the New Zealand 3-year-old can turn the tables.

For A Reason is a speedster best suited to taking a sit and that could work out perfectly as former Southland pacer Motu Crusader is a natural stayer who could well work forward and take the lead off his stablemate, giving For A Reason the passing lane in the straight.

Either way it is impossible to go past the McCarthy pair as the father-and-son team of John and Luke have been in spectacular form in their home state in the last month.

The best Courage To Rule can probably hope for is to head forward in the middle stages and sit parked trying to secure as much place money as possible.