Racing: Three big guns in race of the week at Ruakaka

Lickety Split. Photo / Trish Dunell

Mick Guerin runs through the big race of the weekend.

NORTHERN BREEDERS STAKES
$85,000, Group 3, 1200m
Ruakaka, Saturday, 2.29

The race: Black-type three-year-old race with three big guns in Lickety Split, Pacific Dragon and Lord Cosmos.

Rider-go-round: Both Pacific Dragon and Lickety Split need new jockeys for this race while Opie Bosson has to get down to a testing 57kgs for Lord Cosmos.

The class factor: Lickety Split won a Group 1 at Ellerslie last season beating Te Akau's best, so she has real class.

Fitness edge: Pacific Dragon has raced consistently well all winter and has an edge on the other favourites, which trainer Tony Pike is keen to exploit.

The money: Bookies could barely split the three favourites but went for Lord Cosmos, possibly because of the Bosson/Te Akau factor.

The quote: "My filly can't be as fit as Pacific Dragon but she is faster so we have the speed to stay handy to her, which helps," Andrew Forsman, trainer of Lickety Split.

The verdict: Pacific Dragon is a talented filly but Lickety Split is the better chance. Lord Cosmos looks unders.