Horse racing: Babylon Berlin’s trainer relies on Johny Johny’s speed in Pukekohe

The trainer of the fastest horse going to Pukekohe today says he is quite happy to see the second-fastest horse in the same race.

Because Ben Foote, who trains hot favourite Babylon Berlin in today’s $150,000 Haunui Farm Counties Bowl, believes fellow speed machine Johny Johny can help his mare.

The pair are two of the fastest horses in New Zealand over short trips and both like to race on the speed, which along with the addition of another natural speedster in Sacred Satono, could make for a dazzling 1100m today.

For all their similar racing styles and equal topweights of 59kgs today Babylon Berlin has been better performed in our best sprinting races than Johny Johny, although the latter has won his last four starts and seems more dogged and determined when challenged these days.

Foote, who trains Babylon Berlin with his son Ryan, says he is happy to concede any early lead to Johny Johny and let his mare track him until jockey Opie Bosson pushes the go button.

“I like it when Johny Johny is in her races,” says Foote.

“He is very fast, like her, but only has one racing style so he will lead and we can sit off him and Opie can go when he wants.

“She has been good enough to ger past him in previous races they have clashed in and she is in the right form to do that again.”

Babylon Berlin has chased home Imperatriz and Levante in our group 1 sprints last season and with them absent this summer she surely gets her chance in a race like the Railway on January 1.

“That is her big aim, it is all about getting a group 1 now and being set weights and penalties she will drop a lot in weight for the Railway compared with her 59kgs on Saturday,” says Foote.

“Still, I don’t think the weight will bother her because she is a beast.”

Sacred Satono could ultimately be the threat late to Babylon Berlin today as he was a brave seventh in the Silver Eagle in Sydney last start and only has to carry 53kgs today, although the 1100m might be a touch sharp for him.

Another mare charged with carrying 59kgs today is Aquacade in the $170,000 Counties Cup but like Babylon Berlin she is still favoured to get away with it.

Aquacade loves Pukekohe and won a decent weight-for-age race last start here over a race rival in Aromatic.

The question for punters today is whether the 3.5kgs Aromatcic is better off in the weights today can see her turn the tables on Aquacade in a race Aromatic won last year on a heavy track.

The other big weight relief gainer today is Dionysus, who thrived on the major Cups circuit this time last year and is dangerous today with 54.5gs if he produces his best.

The richest race at Pukekohe is the $225,000 Dunstan Horsefeeds Breeders Stakes in which tempo will be crucial but Our Alley Cat has more pathways to victory than most.

Earlier in the programme we see the best early form indicator to the Karaka Millions on January 27 when the three favourites for our richest juvenile race meet in the $110,000 Counties Challenge Bowl.

Savaglee, Poetic Champion and Velocious were all quite brilliant winning their debuts so it one of them can dominate today they will become the clear TAB Karaka Millions favourite.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.