KEY POINTS:
Mountbatten won the biggest race of his career - today he faces his biggest challenge.
The speedster has been the giant mover in the Australasian trotting ranks this season, roaring through the classes from forgotten one-win trotter to win the $150,000 Dominion Handicap at Addington last month.
Trained
by the man who prepared New Zealand's two richest-ever trotters, Tim Butt, driven by his brother Anthony and already a group one winner, Mountbatten has all the ingredients to be a superstar.
But one thing stands in his way. Her name is One Over Kenny.
The great mare and reigning trotter of the year returned to winning form in dynamic style at Alexandra Park last start, confirming she is still the star of the squaregaiting show.
And Mountbatten's driver Anthony Butt knows he won't get many better chances to change that than in the $50,000 Flying Mile at Cambridge today.
The pair have met only once, in the Dominion, and while Mountbatten won, he had a 15m start on One Over Kenny, who was having her first run back after an interrupted preparation.
Today One Over Kenny will be much fitter but Mountbatten has the advantage of the ace draw, which is so crucial with the Cambridge mile start having only a short run to the bend.
If Mountbatten can hold the lead then he is the one to beat. If the mare beats him it will set the tone for the summer trotting classics.
"It will be a great race because she [One Over Kenny] is still the measuring stick for the trotters," said Anthony Butt. "But I think we can do it. I think he will hold the lead and over a mile that is a huge deal."
If he does lead then he will take a lot of running down.
Mountbatten warmed up for the sprint with a 55.7s last 800m against the pacers at the trials 12 days ago and he is definitely the hare to One Over Kenny's tortoise.
One Over Kenny may simply be too tough for him but she would be far better suited to a longer distance.
"It is going to be hard for us because at best I can only see us being parked," said One Over Kenny's driver, Tony Herlihy.
"Mountbatten is pretty quick so I wouldn't be surprised if he beat us this time."
One scenario that would change the race dramatically would be if Iwi Alex, the outsider drawn three, came off the gate as quickly as she has on occasions in the past and crossed to the lead.
That would enable One Over Kenny to park outside her and control the race, although Butt was confident that won't happen.
"He (Mountbatten) has good gate speed and that really high natural speed so we will be coming out hard."
If the favourites did go to war down the back straight - and neither driver is likely to want that - Houdini Star is the most likely beneficiary.
He has been excellent all season but is hampered by a second line draw today, which may be enough to relegate him to a minor role, alongside the likes of Braig.
Earlier at the meeting high-class pacer Mr Bojangles returns to the scene of his greatest wins when he re-appears in the main pacing event, the Lamp Specialists Ltd Pace.
He has pleased trainer-driver Maurice McKendry with his recent workouts and is luxuriously placed in the handicaps, with Live Basically, from the in-form Ken Barron stable looking his greatest threat.