By MIKE DILLON
Is Fred Kersley mad?
He certainly doesn't give you that impression when you meet him.
But surely only a madman would give away the trade secrets that could end up beating you for A$3 million.
No one can argue Kersley is not astute - his record with champion Perth galloper
Northerly is too impressive for that.
But to put Greg Childs on Northerly in the lead-up to the Cox Plate, when everyone knows Childs will be on Sunline in the Cox seems, to the layman, as courting potential disaster.
Northerly is not an easy horse to ride.
Australasia's best, Damien Oliver, had to pull off one of last year's world best rides to land him home a winner over Sunline in the Cox Plate.
Northerly has a mind of his own. He switches off at crucial times in a race and his sometimes erratic behaviour has him with a current warning for savaging other horses.
He takes a lot of getting to know.
The knowledge Greg Childs is building up from winning Sunday's A$350,000 Underwood Stakes could be crucial in the closing stages of this year's Cox Plate.
It's like Prada allowing the Team New Zealand boys to crew Luna Rossa for a hoop around the harbour the day before the America's Cup begins.
Childs is unbeaten in four rides on Northerly.
He's learned an awful lot.
If Sunline and Northerly come together in the closing 250m of the Cox Plate, that knowledge might be the difference.
Fred Kersley is no mug.
He's happy with that scenario.
Is he making the Cox Plate a secondary target this year, possibly because the world's best 2000m horse, Grandera, is coming to represent Godolphin and concentrating instead on the Caulfield Cup?
Certainly the way Kersley has been training and racing Northerly this preparation suggests he is looking at 2400m rather than 2040m.
Oliver was unable to ride Northerly on Sunday because of a long-standing obligation to his Caulfield and Melbourne cups mount, AJC Derby winner Don Eduardo.
Oddly, he has chosen to climb off Don Eduardo to ride Fields Of Omagh in Saturday week's A$350,000 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington.
Trainer Lee Freedman says he has not finalised a replacement for Oliver, but there will be no shortage of applicants.
Meanwhile, Fred Kersley is happy for either Childs or Oliver to ride Northerly in the A$2.5 million Caulfield Cup, which will be run a week before the Cox Pate.
He has told the superstar riding pair to sort it out.
It is a remarkably relaxed attitude from a man whose demeanour oozes controlled planning and precise judgement.
Never bet he doesn't know what he's doing.
By MIKE DILLON
Is Fred Kersley mad?
He certainly doesn't give you that impression when you meet him.
But surely only a madman would give away the trade secrets that could end up beating you for A$3 million.
No one can argue Kersley is not astute - his record with champion Perth galloper
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