Racing: You gotta feel for the rest

You almost have to feel sorry for the horses facing Darci Brahma and Kristov in tomorrow's $100,000 Otaki Maori Weight-For-Age.

Not exactly because of an ability index - the opposition is classy - but because of the way the race will be run.

Kristov, New Zealand racing's heartbreaker, will set up a killer speed in front.

By the time the five runners opposing the northern pair have spent their money trying to reel in the dashing front runner, along will come Darci Brahma with that phenomenal finishing sprint of his.

Anything that can pick up Kristov then hold out Darci Brahma will not simply be their best racetrack effort to date, it will be the best career performance, regardless of how long that spans.

And if these horses don't sleep well on Saturday night, you'd want to know why.

Kristov is currently New Zealand's most loved racehorse.

He's the horse you can't ignore. Every time he steps out he guarantees that the race tactics of every one of his opposition revolves around him. Ignore him at your peril.

It can beat any horse around, as it did when Darci Brahma finished second to him in the $100,000 Waikato Draught Sprint at Te Rapa two weeks ago.

Tomorrow's re-match of these two high-class athletes is in the not-to-be-missed basket.

Te Rapa turned out a nightmare for the Darci Brahma camp.

Trainer Mark Walker and rider Michael Walker were charged with the responsibility of protecting the mammoth public punt that had him at odds on and looking after the multi million dollar colt in his first start back from a break.

Those two factors don't always run parallel, but Mark Walker still believes the race should have been Darci Brahma's.

"Look, take nothing away from the winner, he's a fabulous horse, but if we'd drawn out a bit we'd have ridden him differently.

"The one clear fact was that you couldn't be in that choppy ground on the inside that day.

"Possibly Michael should have been one place more forward - it became a case of the best horse following the worst horse.

"But I defend Michael on his ride, he had only a split second to decide where he was going to be."

Kristov is going to use his remarkably high cruising speed yet again to take it to the opposition and the first to go after him and take him on in the home straight will need to be one very brave horse.

Part owner and trainer Phillip Stevens knows Kristov is in for a tougher time than when he got his well deserved group one success at Te Rapa.

"It's pretty clear they won't ride Darci Brahma as cold as they did at Te Rapa and let us get away with a cheap lead.

"I watched Darci Brahma work here at Matamata on Tuesday and the way he went he's going to be very hard to beat."

Kristov steps up from 1400m to 1600m this time and his stats at the distance are every bit as impressive as his overall career numbers.

From 16 starts at 1600m, Kristov has won six times and been placed on seven occasions.

He was ridden at Te Rapa by Jason Waddell, who this time has made the decision to stay back and ride at his home track of Matamata.

He is replaced by Hayden Tinsley, who comes back off the injury list. Tinsley needs no introduction to Kristov, from four rides he has a record of two wins and a second.

Warhorse Sedecrem will appreciate the step up to 1600m.

He had no chance of picking up serious money the way the sections were run in the Waikato Draught at Te Rapa.

But he made good ground late and can be guaranteed to be running on again.

Penitentiary was luckless in his close third to Inactively Miss in the group one Thorndon Mile last start.

A similar effort would take him very close to the trifecta.