KEY POINTS:
Don't let a second line barrier draw dent your confidence with Stig in today's New Zealand Trotting Free-For-All at Addington.
Because the superstar's trainer-driver Paul Nairn isn't.
Nairn and Stig have taken trotting by storm in the last six months, the five-year-old going from erratic maiden to being
rated a potential champion.
He won his division of the Harness Jewels in June and has come back a far stronger horse this season, producing two breathtaking performances at Ashburton and Kaikoura.
In the first he sat three wide almost the entire Flying Mile to beat Allegro Agitato, while at Kaikoura he came from a handicap to trot a near national 2400m record.
Those performances have rival trainers suggesting Stig could be the next Lyell Creek, which will assure him of hot favouritism today.
And although he may get out to $2 because of his second line draw, Nairn thinks it could be a good thing.
"There is a lot of speed off the front line and I can see them going hard," he said.
"So I might get the chance to miss that and then use his strength later."
While the field is missing One Over Kenny and Our Sunny Whiz, Stig would appear to simply have too much stamina for his rivals today.
Especially now Nairn is no longer worried about the big horse's manners.
They were the problem when he first started racing last December, when Stig always threatened to roll into a gallop.
"He is over that now and, in fact, never really feels like galloping," said Nairn.
"He used to do it because he was trying to too hard and was not able to control his gait.
"But now he has more idea and when I take him to the races I don't worry about him breaking."
Nairn has an incredible strike rate with his tiny stable, having lined up 10 starters this season for five wins, four seconds and one unplaced run by a maiden.
The other half of his imposing record has been complied by Day Of Reckoning, who won on Tuesday and should repeat the dose in race five today.
While she doesn't have Stig's raw ability, she has constantly improved since the start of the year and now looks an open class trotter of some class.
The $150,000 Dominion next Friday will be Stig's first clash with Our Sunny Whiz and possibly trotter of the year, One Over Kenny.
While Stig will be a warm favourite today the race still holds plenty of interest outside of him, with Allegro Agitato, Houdini Star and Mountbatten all capable of pushing him.
