Respect could be the biggest weapon on display in the open-class group races at Alexandra Park tonight.
Many of the elite pacing stars who contested last Friday’s $1 million Race at Cambridge return for the Taylor Mile, while the Lyell Creek Trot sees Muscle Mountain come north to take on Australian visitor Aldebaran Zeus, who led most of the way to win the big trot at Cambridge last Friday.
The Race winner Copy That has drawn perfectly at barrier two in the Taylor Mile, his draw even more of an advantage as rival Self Assured has drawn the inside of the second line while Victorian visitor Better Eclipse, who was excellent at Cambridge, will start from the outside of the front line.
While the drivers of speedsters such as Nicholas Cage (barrier three) and Alta Wiseguy (five) may consider launching early, the big sprints at Cambridge in the last two weeks showed how tough it is to cross horses early at the highest level.
That raises the likely scenario of Copy That leading after the early buzz, and then where will any pressure come from?