KEY POINTS:
Steven Reid may have three winning chances at Alexandra Park tonight but he could be forgiven for thinking a little further ahead.
Reid's charges could all start favourite, but two of them are using the meeting as a lead-up to the rich Harness Jewels series at Cambridge on
May 31.
And that means a possible change of driving tactics on Sno's Big Boy in particular.
The 3-year-old trotter takes on some battle-hardened older rivals in the $12,000 Thames Trotting Cup and does so off the back of an interrupted preparation.
Sno's Big Boy missed the Sires' Stakes and Derby in the last fortnight after coming down with a temperature, which left him refusing to eat.
"It wasn't a huge deal but you can't compete in those best races unless you are at your peak," said Reid.
"And of course we have the Jewels to look forward to with him."
While Sno's Big Boy has recovered well, he will still be short of peak fitness tonight and Reid says that provides the perfect opportunity to drive him cold, instead of sending him to sit parked as he did in his last-start win.
"You never know exactly how a race is going to work out but I'd like to drive him with a sit because he has such great speed.
"And he also has another race next week leading up to the Jewels.
"But the way he is working shows he is still close enough to win because he is pretty smart."
But Reid has no such fitness concerns with Ohoka Moon, who should also start a hot favourite in race five.
She showed great courage to outstay Running On Faith at Alexandra Park last Friday and takes on a significantly weaker field tonight.
While drawn wide the small field gives her a chance to go forward and she will be very hard to beat over the 2700m.
"I changed her training about two months ago and since then she has really come back to her best. I think she will be hard to beat this week and she is not without a chance in the Jewels."
Reid's speedy 3-year-old Franco Tetris resumes in race one tonight and while he has not lived up to his promise of last season, he should be in for a good winter.
He is drawn behind fast beginner Greg Brydon and if he can take advantage of that and stay handy, or potentially get off the markers and look for the front, he will take catching.
Meanwhile, Reid's new lower-grade star Tennis Ball is enjoying a six-week spell after emerging as a potential open class horse in the last month.