Racing: Rivals yesterday, allies tomorrow

Monkey King was at his best winning the NZ Trotting Cup last year but his trainer doubts he can beat Mr Feelgood tomorrow. Photo / Simon Baker

Enemies on the track yesterday - Kiwi brothers in arms tomorrow.

That is the unusual story for trainer Brendon Hill and northern counterpart Brent Mangos during this Interdominion carnival.

Yesterday Mangos trained and drove his stable star Bettor Cover Lover to inflict the first career defeat on Hill's filly Carabella in the $175,000 Sales Series Pace at Rangiora.

Looking fresh, Bettor Cover Lover blasted straight to the lead and paced a national all comer three-year-old record for 2000m mobile in holding off Carabella after the red hot favourite was forced to sit parked.

In doing so Bettor Cover Lover paced her last 800m in a blistering 54.4 seconds, a time usually reserved for the big guns of the Interdominion pacing series.

And when the second round of heats for that series come up at Alexandra Park tomorrow night Hill and Mangos will no longer be rivals but partners, trying to break the Australian stranglehold.

Not only are both Hill's Inters reps - Monkey King and Power Of Tara - staying at Mangos' property, Mangos will drive Power Of Tara.

"I know we were rivals today but Brent has been great to us so I don't begrudge his filly beating us," said Hill.

"He lets us stay at his place all the time and one of the bonuses of that has been him driving Power Of Tara.

"He really suits the horse and anybody who saw his fifth last week knows he is flying."

So much so Hill now rates Power Of Tara as his best chance of causing an upset in the pacing series.

"I know Monkey has all the class but I not sure he is racing as well as he can," said Hill. "I think he might be ready to turn the corner whereas Power Of Tara hasn't gone a bad race in ages."

The pair face vastly differing trips tomorrow night, with Monkey King drawn to trail Mr Feelgood in the first heat and Power Of Tara likely to be working at some stage outside Smoken Up in the second heat.

With a trail home Monkey King will get an easy run into the final but Hill doubts he can beat Mr Feelgood.

"If he was the best Monkey, yes he could outsprint him but I am not sure that is where he is at at the moment.

"But he is getting back to his best and I hope he keeps going forward for the final next week.

"Whereas I think Power Of Tara can cause a blowout in the final. They could go hard and he will love that.

"I know Power Of Tara winning an Interdominion is a longshot but at least he is well enough to show his best."

The TAB is taking no chances on the Australian superstars in tomorrow night's pacing heats, opening Mr Feelgood at $1.45 in his heat and Smoken Up at $1.35 in the last heat.

The trotting heats are more confused though, with Sundon's Gift and Let Me Thru opened as the favourites but Kiwi stars Sovereignty and I Can Doosit set to challenge for those positions.

Racing is set to resume at Addington tomorrow, with a greyhound meeting.

And harness racing will return to the quake-damaged track on April 15. But the public stand is still closed because of damage and its future is in doubt.

TABLES TURNED
* Bettor Cover Lover ends Carabella's unbeaten run in the $175,000 Sales Series Pace.
* Bettor Cover Lover's trainer Brent Mangos joins forces with Carabella's trainer Brendon Hill at the Interdominions tomorrow.
* Hill could have two pacing finalists in Monkey King and Power Of Tara.
* Greyhound racing returns to Addington tonight, with the first harness meeting since the earthquake set down for April 15.