Racing: Red ready to go on the attack

Stuart Hunter has learnt from his mistakes.

And he says that makes Flashing Red the best Australian chance in the Interdominions which begin at Alexandra Park tomorrow.

Hunter trains the Queensland pacer who has made the transformation from journeyman to ironhorse the hard way - by sticking it to his opponents.

Three months ago Hunter realised the only way Flashing Red was going to beat the best pacers was to tear their hearts out one stride at a time.

"He can't sprint as quick as those top horses so if we have to drive him hard and take the sprint out of the others that is what we will do," said Hunter.

The tactic had its most dramatic success in the A$100,000 Ballarat Cup in January, when Flashing Red produced one of the performances of the season to sit parked and brain the likes of Mister D G.

Next start he was the best of the rest behind Elsu in the Hunter Cup.

All of which suggests Flashing Red can give dual New Zealand Cup hero Just An Excuse plenty to think about in the opening heat of the series tomorrow night.

And that is where Hunter's past mistakes will prove so valuable.

Five years ago he brought Pocket Battleship and Melton Luciand to Alexandra Park for the Interdominions and watched them struggle with the right-handed track.

"Melton Luciand was good enough to win a heat but really it wasn't much of a series for us, they just didn't handle the track," said Hunter.

He swears the same fate will not befall Flashing Red.

"I learnt my lesson. You have to give them a thorough drilling right-handed before you bring them here to make sure they will handle the track.

"This horse was good when I first tried him that way around and has got better since."

Flashing Red's education has continued at Andrew Neal's Cambridge stables this week, where Hunter has driven him into the bends at high speed to build his confidence up before tomorrow night.

"I am as confident as I can be that the bends won't be a problem."

While Flashing Red is unknown racing right-handed, Hunter is making no secret of his tactics in the series, particularly tomorrow night.

"I have had a good look at the race and the front line appears very fast.

"But I think people under-estimate this horse's gate speed, after all, he crossed Elsu easily in the Miracle Mile.

"He will be going forward at the start and will keep going forward until he gets the lead. If Just An Excuse is good enough to beat us under those circumstances then so be it."

Hunter says those tactics will be even more set in stone as the series continues and Flashing Red peaks.

"I want to see him running from the 1000m in every race, making it hard for those chasing him."

One of those chasing could be Elsu but while Hunter has respect for the Patumahoe Express he isn't scared of him.

"I thought Elsu's Hunter Cup win was huge but a lot of people has overlooked my horse was improving in the fastest section of the race while Elsu improved in the last mile, which was slower.

"I am not saying that we are going to beat him but he is going to know that we are here."

So much so that Hunter rates Flashing Red as the best chance of maintaining Australia's domination of the pacing series.

"Old Sokyola is a great horse but I would say that in what I have seen in the last two months my horse is every bit as good as him at the moment and the best chance of the Aussies."

That could make the $3.50 Flashing Red is paying in the fixed odds tomorrow night good value, while the $9 on offer for the pacing final could also be far shorter after tomorrow night.

Hunting Kiwis

* Trainer Stuart Hunter is full of confidence heading into the Interdominions with Flashing Red.

* The Queensland pacer won the Ballarat Cup two starts ago before chasing Elsu home in the Hunter Cup.

* He clashes with Just An Excuse in tomorrow night's opening heat of the series.

* Hunter rates Flashing Red as Australia's best chance of winning the series.