Aussie hopes ready to rock NZ’s biggest majestic mountain

The Australian raiders have made this New Zealand Cup.

Win, lose or draw they have given harness racing’s great race a heartbeat when it could easily have been just another glorified NZ free-for-all.

And both the emerging Rock N Roll Doo (Rock N Roll Heaven) and seasoned warrior Majestic Cruiser (Art Major) are good enough to win it, too.

But there are pros and cons with both.

Let’s start with the one they share, the uncertainty around how well they will handle the standing start.

This is no ordinary stand. It’s been littered with messy starts over the years and it’s amplified by the massive Addington crowd.

Rock N Roll Doo has raced once from a stand, while Majestic Cruiser is untested.

If they miss away, it’s basically curtains.

Ironically, Rock N Roll Doo’s back row draw (13) may actually suit him better than Majestic Cruiser’s two slot, where driver Cam Hart will likely have to stand him for a long time and keep him focused while the bulk of the field takes its spot behind the tapes.

Majestic Cruiser stepped away OK in a very low-key standing-start trial at Menangle a few weeks ago and there doesn’t seem to be much trainer Jason Grimson can’t get his horses to do on a big stage.

It’s remarkable to think Grimson has won Group 1 open-class features in the past 11 months, all with cast-offs from other stables and all at big odds.

Majestic Cruiser has won two of those Group 1’s – Messenger in Auckland and Blacks A Fake in Brisbane – and he is an outsider at $15 to add tomorrow’s Cup.

Don’t be fazed about his indifferent form in two runs back from a spell, says Grimson (pictured right with driver Cam Hart below).

“I’ll have him primed on the day, you’ll see,” he said.

Who’s to doubt him with his strike rate when it matters over the past year?

We know Majestic Cruiser is good enough, he’s a terrific stayer and in the right stable.

If he steps well and Hart can give him an economical trip, he’ll be very dangerous late. That’s how he won the Messenger and Blacks A Fake.

Rock N Roll Doo is the more talented pacer, but he’s still a bit raw and on the way up.

Sure, it’s starting to all come together as his breathtaking, almost arrogant Victoria Cup win showed.

But this is a very different challenge.

Trainer-driver Mick Stanley insists he is primed after being underdone at Ashburton two weeks ago and blazing some slick times after a safe getaway from the standing-start in the Cup Trial last week.

He’s so versatile and that ability to be able to do some work at different stages of the race is a real X-factor. Not that he can afford to do all the grunt work in a gruelling race like this as he did in the Victoria Cup.

Stanley won’t be afraid to come and sit parked, but there’s no rush to do so. Getting Rock N Roll Doo away safely and letting him get into a groove early will be the first things on his mind.

So, who’s the best of the locals?

Incredibly, Copy That was a $30 outsider when fourth to Rock N Roll Doo in the Victoria Cup.

But the wily genius that is trainer Ray Green looks to have the defending champ right back to his very best at the right time.

Copy That won from a wide front row draw last year. It’s not a bad spot to be, if he steps well like usual and can push forward in search of the lead.

We are so used to the All Stars barn dominating the race and they do have a strong hand again with Self Assured, Akuta and Spankem, but they are all just “in the mix” rather than being standouts tomorrow (Tuesday).

Self Assured will need to lift from a plain Ashburton Cup, Spankem will figure in the finish with the right trip and three-year-old Akuta has the sheer talent, but may lack the ringcraft at this early stage.

There’s a reason just one Aussie-trained pacer has won the Cup in the past 35 years (Arden Rooney in 2015) because it’s a huge mountain to climb.

But we won’t get many better chances than this with Rock N Roll Doo and Majestic Cruiser if one or both step away well tomorrow.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Adam Hamilton, for HRV