By Michael Guerin
MELBOURNE - Auckland pacer Surprise Package is in the middle of a debate raging over Saturday night's Hunter Cup.
The Barry Purdon-trained pacer won Australia's richest harness race two years ago but was a surprise entry this week.
Purdon had set Surprise Package for the $A400,000 feature but only decided to go through with the campaign last week.
Surprise Package has been plagued by injuries since winning the Cup in 1997 and has raced only four times, finishing out of the money on each occasion.
Yet he has made the Cup field ahead of several Australian pacers whose connections feel he should not have.
The most peeved are Stuart Hunter, the trainer of Queensland star Maltese Cavalier, New South Wales trainer Brian Hancock, whose stable second string Quantum Lobell has missed a start and Jim Bennett, who trains promising New South Wales pacer Butler's Best, who didn't get a Cup run even though he has won eight of his last nine races.
Hunter hinted the field selections involved home town bias, while Hancock was fuming after Quantum Lobell, Australasia's fastest miler, missed the cut.
While no Australian trainer would be crazy enough to publicly declare Surprise Package as one of the horses they were upset to see in the field before their own, behind the scenes the Auckland pacer making the field was making some waves.
On paper the Australian trainers would appear to have a case, but as we all know races are not run on paper.
While Surprise Package has not run in the money in four starts this season he has been racing in a different league to the Aussies he beat into the field.
Two of those runs were behind Christian Cullen and co in the New Zealand and Auckland Cups, while another was a close-up effort behind Bogan Fella in the national record-smashing 2200m City Of Auckland Free-For-All at the Cup carnival.
While Surprise Package has been battling the best, Maltese Cavalier, Quantum Lobell and Butler's Best have been racing the Australian B-team.
Harness Racing Victoria officials admitted yesterday that they had received plenty of feedback on the field selection.
"But the bottom line is we are thrilled with the Hunter Cup field," said HRV's Richard King.
And while King was not discussing the various merits of those who made the field and who didn't it was obvious Surprise Package was always going to be in the 3280m feature
"Surprise Package is a past winner of the race, has Tony Herlihy driving and is simply a very good horse. That is why he is in there," said King.
Ironically, Surprise Package's connections could themselves feel justified at being a little upset at the Cup field because the former star juvenile appears harshly handicapped on 15m.
That means only Iraklis will start behind him and he will be forced to give starts to stablemate Holmes D G, former Auckland Cup winner Kate's First and the in-form Happy Asset.
Cullen bounces back
Champion pacer Christian Cullen must be made of rubber.
Every time the great one seems out for the count he bounces back like new.
Just two weeks ago Christian Cullen was apparently hit by an acute bout of travel sickness that threatened his career.
But trainer Brian O'Meara is now happy with the giant 4-year-old.
So happy in fact that he will be taking him to Moonee Valley on Saturday night.
Christian Cullen will parade before the Hunter Cup field he was originally supposed to be a starter in and is expected to sprint down the straight in front of what is shaping as a massive crowd.
Not bad for a horse that was a physical wreck a fortnight ago and also good news for Auckland harness racing officials trying to woo the big horse to the Interdominions in March.
Horse Racing: Entry unwelcome surprise for Aussies
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