Racing: Prepared to do battle

Speedy mare Kiwi Ingenuity will be well backed to win first up tonight. Photo / Greg Bowker

Robbie Holmes can't wait until Kiwi Ingenuity gets into a fight.

Looking at the small but elite field for the feature pace at Addington tonight, he may not have to waitlong.

The wonderful mare returns to racing in tonight's $25,000 Searells Classic, taking on Monkey King, Bondy and Pembrook Benny.

But even though that is a huge ask, trainer-driver Holmes is adamant Kiwi Ingenuity can win fresh-up after a dazzling performance at last Saturday's Rangiora workouts.

The 6-year-old paced her last 800m in 54.8 seconds when overcoming a 30m handicap, exactly the sort of hitout she needed before tonight.

"She paced the 2600m [stand] in 3:15 and they don't go much quicker than that at the workouts.

"So even though it is never easy to win at this level fresh-up I think she is ready."

Holmes said Kiwi Ingenuity was bigger and better than last season, when she was all the rage heading into the New Zealand Cup before running seventh, followed by a fourth in the Miracle Mile.

"She has put on a lot of muscle and she feels amazing," he told the Herald.

"I can't wait until she gets really race fit and gets into a real scrap with another horse because she has so much determination and now she has the body to use it."

Holmes is also happy with how Kiwi Ingenuity has been stepping away at the workouts, which will be a key factor in tonight's race.

Small open-class races, particularly this early in the season, tend to be tactical, without a lot of mid-race moves. So if either Bondy or Kiwi Ingenuity, or far less likely Monkey King, got an easy lead it would be very hard to see them run down.

"She has been stepping well and I think she is ready to be driven forward if she gets away well," said Holmes.

"I am pretty sure we will settle in front of Monkey King because he tends to be slow away so that should give us some advantage. Maybe Bondy will be the leader but I'd like to be somewhere near him."

As good as Kiwi Ingenuity is - and she is the national mile record holder - Monkey King is still the best pacer in the country so is the horse to beat.

He began slowly and staged a huge recovery to finish second to Stunin Cullen in his comeback race two weeks ago, pacing his last mile in under 1:55.

He could face a similar task tonight but the small field could help him step away better as there should be less mucking around before the tapes are released.

He deserves to start favourite but with the TAB bookies having a love affair with Kiwi Ingenuity there will not be much between the pair in the fixed odds markets.

Bondy was disappointing when third at Oamaru on Sunday but sweated up before the race and looked bigger in condition that usual, suggesting that as a 9-year-old he is taking longer to come up.

He can win tonight, while the blowout horse is Pembrook Benny, who has been rushed south by trainer-driver Barry Purdon and has the manners to get the sort of trip that suits.

His stablemate Raydon returns in tonight's feature trot and starts a campaign which could see him propelled to the top of the trotting ranks.

He is talented but will need to be, as he faces good-class opponents in Dr Hook, Leighton Hest and Ima Gold Digger to mention a few.

Also returning tonight is The Muskeg Express, perhaps the most talented and definitely the most luckless juvenile in the country last season.

He could also prove to be something special this season, but meets a race-hardened Empyrean in the Sires' Stakes heat.

Recent Alexandra Park double winner River Field travels south to take on some of the best 4-year-olds in the $40,000 Superstars Championship, another of the highlights of the first premier night of the season.

PREMIER NIGHT
* Kiwi Ingenuity returns to clash with Monkey King at Addington tonight.

* The standing start could decide the outcome of the race.

* Potential superstars Raydon and The Muskeg Express also return to the track.