KEY POINTS:
Lizzie Maguire is in for a shock on Sunday ... and trainer Gareth Dixon hopes her rivals are too.
The high-class 3-year-old filly will end her long, rollercoaster campaign as New Zealand's best winning chance in the Australasian Breeders Crown finals at Bendigo in Victoria.
After a smaller
assault on the series than usual and some setbacks this week, only three Kiwi-trained youngsters have made the rich finals, with Lizzie Maguire the only one the bookies will be showing any respect.
She has drawn four in her A$188,000 ($234,000) final and will be aided by the fact favourite and key rival Kept For Pleasure has draw the inside of the second line.
Under those circumstances Lizzie Maguire will only have to produce her best to win but that is the problem - she was hugely disappointing when second after having a perfect run in her semifinal last Saturday.
She swept to the lead at 300m mark only to be gunned down by New Zealand-owned Muscle Beach, who will be hard to beat again from the ace draw on Sunday.
Dixon believes Lizzie Maguire's problems are mental rather than physical and he is set to practice some shock therapy on her on Sunday.
"She pulled up and waited for the other filly last Saturday and when it got to her she fought back again but it was too late," said the South Auckland trainer.
"So this week I am going to put the pull-down blinds on her. We have used them in the past in similar circumstances and found they worked well."
But unusually, Dixon will not even work Lizzie Maguire in the blinds before Sunday as he believes she is getting a little too cunning for her own good. "It has been a long season and maybe she is coming to the end so this might be the best way to wake her up," he said.
Dixon has adopted a lead-at-all-costs attitude to Sunday's race and says if that works then last Saturday's defeat could actually help Lizzie Maguire's cause.
"I think the Australian drivers might take her a bit lightly after last Saturday and if she can sneak a slow half [800m] somewhere I think she can still win."
Lizzie Maguire heads the New Zealand team for Sunday, with Twist N Shout in the A$301,000 juvenile fillies pace and The Ultimate Galleon in the A$102,000 3-year-old trot the other age group runners.
But they will not be the only Kiwi pacers in show, with Molly Darling and Ebony Gem to contest the open aged free-for-all, in which they will clash with open class iron horse Safari.
Dixon also trains Ebony Gem and says a placing on Sunday could be enough to earn the 4-year-old an invitation to the A$200,000 Chariots Of Fire in Sydney in two weeks.
"It is a tough field, obviously, with Safari there, but I am happy with how he is working so I am hoping he can get a run through and get one late shot at them."
FINAL CHANCE
* Lizzie Maguire has emerged as New Zealand's best chance of a Breeders Crown victory.
* She will have a gear change after failing to produce her best when second in the semifinal last Saturday.
* Twist N Shout and The Ultimate Galleon are other Kiwi-trained youngsters in the rich finals.
* Ebony Gem and Molly Darling clash with Safari in the aged pace on Sunday.