Merlin “ready to win” at Cambridge tonight

Merlin (Art Major) is ready to put his harness racing season back on track at Cambridge tonight but whether he gets the opportunity to do that may be up to his opponents as much as the star pacer.

The multiple Group 1 winner is using tonight’s $60,000 Garrards Flying Mile as his final lead-up to his defence next week of the $1million slot race he won last year.

But Merlin’s challenges over the next week are two-fold.

Firstly the Race by betcha is looking considerably stronger this year than last and he is heads into his week in the Waikato off the back of a shock failure at Menangle last start.

Merlin has been an almost perfect racehorse right from the start of his career but a false start he caused in a heat of the Miracle Mile last start was then followed by a searing early burn that saw Merlin record a rare unplaced finish and left him jaded.

“He was tired after that last race, not much went right,” says co-trainer Scott Phelan.

“But he has improved every week since and he trialled really well in a fast time [Pukekohe] last week.

“So he is fit and ready to win.”

That coupled with his deserved reputation saw Merlin open the $2.50 favourite for tonight’s sprint but from barrier 3 on the second line his fate may not be solely in the hands of driver Zachary Butcher.

Sooner The Bettor (Merlin’s stablemate), Pinseeker, Rakero Rocket, Ohoka Connor and even Mo’unga could all head forward early and while that should create pressure it could see a super fast mile without an easy sectional for those further back in the field to easily get handy.

“We will leave that up to Zac but tactically it could be a really interesting race,” admits Phelan, who will drive Sooner The Bettor.

If the early burn eventuates and Merlin finds the right rival to follow three wide or somehow manages to land midfield outer then he is the horse to beat but this could just as easily become a race in which the pattern is against him in several ways.

Phelan and senior training partner Barry Purdon also have Sooner The Bettor and Duchess Megxit in tonight’s race and they are set to have vastly different experiences.

Sooner The Bettor has the gate speed to try and lead and Phelan is keen to stay in front as, at this stage, he doesn’t have a slot in The Race by Betcha next Friday so he can afford a harder run tonight.

But Duchess Megxit has drawn one on the second line and will have to be driven cold, with next Friday her far bigger target as she is likely to get barrier 1 under the $1million race’s conditions.

Pinseeker and Rakero Rocket will be factors at least early tonight but Ohoka Connor, Chase A Dream and Mo’unga all probably need to work forward from their wide draws or face settling behind Merlin.

So while lead-up races can sometimes be notoriously tame affairs, tonight could be different as outside Merlin most in tonight’s field can’t realistically expect to beat Aussie superstars Leap To Fame and Don Hugo in The Race next Friday.

For complete Cambridge fields, click here

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand