KEY POINTS:
Champion pacer Blacks A Fake will take his place in tomorrow's A$400,000 Hunter Cup even though trainer-driver Natalie Rasmussen may not be thrilled about the prospect.
Rasmussen came close to scratching the dual Interdominion champion on Thursday after he showed signs of fatigue following a brutal outing in
last Saturday's Ballarat Cup.
On that occasion he was savaged in front by Safari, who stunned the harness racing industry by sitting outside Blacks A Fake and beating him in track record time.
Rasmussen was only ever lukewarm on a Hunter Cup start anyway as Blacks A Fake faces a 30m handicap and she informed Harness Racing Victoria she was likely to pull out of the race on Thursday.
HRV saw things differently.
After their veterinarian inspected Blacks A Fake and said he was fit to run, Rasmussen was told if she scratched Blacks A Fake would be banned from racing for 14 days, common under Victorian rules.
That would have severely jeopardised Blacks A Fake's Interdominion campaign as he would not have been able to race until the semi finals on the series on February 23.
That threat, coupled with some improved trackwork yesterday morning, means Blacks A Fake will start.
The dramas surrounding the great pacer will hardly inspire punters to support him, especially as a 30m handicap around Moonee Valley is almost impossible to overcome in a capacity field.
While he can win, the $7 he was pushed out to by bookmakers on Thursday night still looks under the odds considering the obstacles he faces.
The greatest of those obstacles may again be Safari.
The one-time crock has emerged as a scary staying force this summer and few horses racing in the past decade could have done what he did at Ballarat last Saturday.
He has been re-handicapped to 10m for that win but if he performs at the same level again it is hard to see him beaten.
But that is the questions facing punters: Can Safari perform to that level again?
If last Saturday's run hurt a horse as rugged as Blacks A Fake then surely it must have taken something out of Safari, too.
However, trainer Emma Stewart said she couldn't fault Safari since his win. .
Stewart said she doesn't believe the 10-metre mark that Safari will start from will prove too great a handicap over the marathon 3065 metres.
"He's always been a great stayer and this is the race we have really set him for," Stewart said.
"The distance is ideal. All we want him to do is step away cleanly."
The horse who may benefit most from the Ballarat Cup war is Divisive, who missed that race and instead won a standing start race on the same programme.
He is an exceptionally talented pacer who might be the fastest horse in tomorrow's race.
Divisive may be slightly disadvantaged by drawing the second line, putting him not far in front of Safari, but with the right run he can divebomb his opponents late.
While New Zealand has a proud record in the Hunter Cup we have only one representative this season in Report For Duty and he looks a place chance at best.
He had the perfect run before battling into fourth at Ballarat but does have the manners to make the most of barrier one so is a trifecta must.
New Zealand has a far better chance of wining the day's other feature, the A$50,000 Dullard Cup, with Whatsundermykilt and Galleons Sunset dominating betting on the event.
STAR LINE-UP
What: A$400,000 Hunter Cup.
Where: Moonee Valley, Melbourne.
When: 6.30pm (NZ time) Sunday.
Who: Blacks A Fake, Safari, Divisive, Smoken Up and New Zealand pacer Report For Duty.