TOP OF THE TROTS
1Bolt
vs Son: Bolt For Brilliance (Addington R6, No 1) appears to hold the aces over Sundees Son (6) in the NZ Trotting Champs.
This is because from the one draw he has the option to lead or at least stay in front of his rival.
The way they both trotted last start, if Bolt For Brilliance is in front and dialled in then Sundees Son will need to improve two lengths to beat him.
So the $2.80 bookie quote is very fair.
2 The anchor: Five Wise Men (R8, No 7) has been so dominant over this three-year-old crop this year it is hard to find a horse to beat him in the Trotting Derby.
He has looked all along like he would be even better over distance so the step up to 2600m suits and it is surprising he opened at $2.30 because he will probably start in the red.
3 Manners the key: Gaz Man (8) and Call Me Trouble (12) could gallop in race three at Alex Park and that would ruin their chances over 2200m. But one of them, maybe both, should get it right and if they do one of them should be winning so they make sense as a split bet, probably more heavily weighted toward Call Me Trouble.
4 American Pride: (Addington, R10, No 12): Needed the run fresh-up and gets Mark Purdon back in the sulky. Has crucial 10m advantage over the other favourites which could make the difference tactically.
5 Temporale: (Alex Park, R7, No 6) may face a 20m handicap over 2200m but he only has four rivals and beat Bolt For Brilliance fair and square last start. Small fields can be tricky but with any drag into the race he might be too fast for them as his handicap may only mean settling last.