"If anything he [Julius] was being ridden a bit more when they hit the line together but you could probably expect that with him being an older horse.
"But if showed me she can sprint with a Railway winner and that is encouraging."
More so than Travelling Light's latest trial at Te Teko on August 18, when jockey Sam Collett had to urge her on close to the line in finishing second.
"Initially I thought she only trialled okay but I have looked at it a few more times and I am happier with it now," says Foote.
"Because this is her first 1200m race I have tried some different things in training with her and that gallop last week suggested to me she is ready to go a big race."
The glamour girls look to have been the big winners in the draw for Saturday with Travelling Light at barrier seven, Avantage (five) and Princess Kereru (three), and all will come in further with three of the four ballots drawing near the rail.
If Te Rapa continues to dry out and the inside is the place to be the mares are going to be awfully hard to catch, especially as some of the big boys have fared poorly,
Julius drew 13, to start from 10 after the ballots come out, while in-form gallopers Tavi Mac (18) and Demonetization (16) look set to take the long way home.
* Two of the heroes of the harness racing season so far face vastly different tasks at Alexandra Park tomorrow night, but there will be plenty of punters willing to multi up that Krug (race four) and Copy That (race eight) can both continue on their winning ways.
Krug returns to Alexandra Park for the first of three races this month but faces a second-line barrier draw over 1700m, which is why the TAB are putting up $1.60 about him rather than $1.20.
He should still win as he rates three to four lengths better than most of his opponents but just how Blair Orange steers him will be interesting.
Maurice McKendry should have no such concerns driving Copy That in the free-for-all pace as he has drawn the ace and should lead, as should Temporale in the night's big trot.
