Star-studded field to do battle at Kilmore

Raw talent will be put to the test in a star-studded Garrards Maori’s Idol Trotters Free For All at Kilmore tomorrow night, which has drawn a field worthy of the great after whom the race is named.

Cover Of Darkness, a winner of nine of his 11 starts, faces arguably his most stern test, with Emma Stewart’s star four-year-old to start from gate two on a front line that also includes Yabby Dam pair Im Ready Jet and Always Ready.

Off the back row, outside seasoned top-tier veterans Sundons Courage, Red Hot Tooth and Magicool, is Andy Gath’s brilliant Majestuoso, who’ll have to overcome his difficult outside-the-back-row draw to register an 18^th career win.

“(Majestuoso’s) a great horse and we love him going froward, but it’s also got to be tempo related,” Gath told Burning Questions.

“Cover Of Darkness, I personally don’t think he will lead. To my mind, I think Always Ready if they choose to lead can cross him quite easily.

“I’ve mapped Always Ready being in front. Cover Of Darkness, he’s a great horse on the way up, but he’s only had 11 starts, all these other horses have had 11 wins or more. He’s giving away a lot season wise and he’s not perfect in his gait yet. He’s a quality horse going forward.”

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They’re points not lost on Stewart, who told RSN 927’s Green Light On that the Group 3 would be “super tough for” headstrong Cover Of Darkness.

“It’s definitely going to be a hard task for him, but he’s been a lot better at home,” she said.

“He’s doing a fair bit of work on the treadmill at the moment, he seems to be quite well in his mind, so fingers crossed he behaves himself.”

The pressure is likely to come early, with Always Ready’s trainer, Anton Golino, telling Trots Vision co-hosts Jason Bonnington and Nikkita Ross “I think we’ve got to have a little look” at the front.

“I leave that up to (driver) Josh (Aiken),” Golino said. “(Always Ready’s) come back really good this prep. Last start he was super, his sectionals were really good. He’s in a good spot, we’re happy with where we are at with him and he had a good week.”

Golino also has stablemate Im Ready Jet drawn directly inside Always Ready and said she was “pretty versatile”, “so she can do it both ends, but we’ve never really lit her up off the start”.

“Not sure where she’ll end up, obviously Cover Of Darkness comes out real quick and Always Ready comes out real quick. Hopefully she can just be more forward than she has been.”

To view fields for Saturday night’s meeting at Kilmore, click here.

From Harness Racing Victoria