Trainer Mitchell Kerr can not split his classy pairing of Forgotten Highway and Smokin By for today's Southern Country Cups final.
Bookmakers made easier work of deciding which of the two backmarkers was the best chance in the 2700m feature when installing Forgotten Highway the $2 fixed odds favourite.
Smokin By was made the $4.40 favourite when the race market was released yesterday.
Kerr's appraisal of his horses does not suggest that one horse should be more than twice the price of the other.
"To be honest there is not too much [between them] for the race [today]," the trainer said.
"I am really happy with both of them, and I suppose whoever gets the best run will probably be the better chance.
"Both probably haven't quite been at their best the last couple of runs.
"I have just had a bit of a virus go through the team.
"We seem to be coming out the other end of that now and they seem to be working really good again."
Both Forgotten Highway and Smokin By go in to this afternoon's race after making mistakes in their last starts.
Forgotten Highway made a rare mistake when galloping behind the mobile in A G's White Socks' Rangiora Classic win earlier this month.
That was his second consecutive start against some of New Zealand's best pacers after the 5yr-old contested the Easter Cup.
"Obviously it is quite a decent drop in grade for him.
"He has been racing the best ones in the country for the past six months.
"I think I have got him back on track - he wasn't quite right in the Easter Cup after winning at Methven."
Smokin By made a meal of his last standing start at Rangiora.
Kerr hoped that could be marked down as a one-off occurrence and that driver John Dunn could get the pacer to step quickly.
"It probably was a rare mistake for him, he normally steps really good.
"As long as Johnny can get him on the right foot, he is capable of making a bullet [-like] beginning."
Smokin By shares the 20m backmark with Forgotten Highway, who will be driven by Nathan Williamson.
Sagwitch, who has grown into a cup race specialist in Southland this season, also starts from 20m.
Kerr has William Wallace in today's group 2 2yr-old classic.
The Bettor's Delight colt comes into the race after a second to Above N Beyond in a recent Sires Stakes Series heat at Addington.
Kerr will also be represented in today's group 2 Southern Supremacy Stakes by Zinny Mach.
