New Zealand Cup carnival winners Sundons Flyer, BD Khaosan and Muscles Galore head a red-hot line-up in tomorrow’s feature trot at Oamaru.
The Oamaru club will again host the five-race Brothers In Arms driving series at the meeting.
Locals Matthew and Brad Williamson have an ideal opportunity to secure maximum points in race 7, having landed the drives behind BD Khaosan and Muscles Galore, respectively.
John Dunn, who competes alongside brother Dexter, will pair with Sundons Flyer in her attempt to return to her best form after making mistakes in her last two starts.
Prior to that the horse ran down a handy middle-grade field when sprinting quickly along the Addington passing lane.
Since then, things have not gone right for Sundon’s Flyer.
"She is always a brilliant beginner but in her next start after winning she just began on the wrong foot so we forgave her that," trainer Bruce Negus said.
"Then at Geraldine, when Belle’s Son galloped he came back on her that quickly it knocked her and even though she stayed trotting she just couldn’t regain her composure.
"It is like that when you work her at home. If anything goes wrong she can spit the dummy."
Tomorrow’s race provides the perfect opportunity for Sundons Flyer, who starts off 30m, to regain winning form. She is usually a faultless trotter who begins well and loves grass-track racing.
Negus lines up Highland Reign in tomorrow’s feature pace, race 9.
"She is going really well week in, week out. She just seems to be thriving and I think in a seven-horse field, if she goes away she is a chance."
Classina Maria has an equally impressive record on grass, and also has five wins to her name.
Another main contender, Hopes And Dreams, has won one of only two starts she has had on grass.
Negus rates Queen Of Glory one of his best winning chances of the eight horses he lines up at Oamaru.
The trainer was pleased with the horse’s last-start effort in an amateur drivers’ race at Motukarara. Craig Thornley, who competes in the Brothers In Arms series beside brother Chris, takes the drive on Queen Of Glory in race 6.
The Negus-trained Zimfandal could provide last year’s series-winning brothers, Jay and Sailesh Abernethy, with a chance to grab last-minute points in the this year’s final heat.
Jay Abernethy will drive the the grass-track specialist who has placed in eight of 12 runs on grass.
The horse went a poor race at Geraldine last time. Negus attributed that performance to Zimfandal not being able to work at both ends of the race. Negus lines up maiden pacers Loissonya in race 2 and Linked In and Nuclear Way in race 5. They will all be having their second starts after going fair races on debut and the trainer expects them to be place chances, rather than winning hopes.
The tricky barrier 12 draw means Negus’ only other runner, Zulu Courage, has his work cut out for him to place in race 10.
