Horse Racing: Trust No Hero to underpin outlay

A little trust is all you need to avoid breaking the bank chasing the Pick Six pot at Riccarton today.

If you are willing to label No Hero an anchor in the second leg - as he deserves to be at his best - then you can make a serious dent in your outlay.

Trainer Paul Nelson says he can't find anything wrong with last year's Grand National winner, despite his two recent shock failures over country.

Have faith in that statement and it could pay to go a little wider in races like the Pick Six opener.

Five-furlong dashes at Riccarton are headaches at best.

You could have half this R90 field on the ticket and still dip out in the first leg.

If he's anywhere near his best then Del Toro is a must-have.

He's a proven performer at Riccarton and apprentice Lee Callaway trims his weight back to a super-competitive 55.5kg.

But at 1000m - a distance he's yet to try on raceday - you need some insurance.

And that's when it gets tricky. Never Ending is a distance specialist, but so is Coup Taine and Flurry.

Jam Tart goes well fresh, the same state she's in today, while northern raider Republican Star should also not be overlooked if you're looking for value.

The third leg looks a contest between the northerners, with the possible exception of Envy Me, who was good enough to take on the South Island's top fillies last season.

Throw her in with Our Marciano, Knightly, Sozinho and Ben Hogan, if he makes it off the ballot, and you should still be live going into the day's feature, the $100,000 Aussie Brownes Winter Cup.

The TAB bookies will have you believe the talented Miles - a cramped $3 fixed-odds favourite all week, is close to an anchor.

But given the Rotorua Cup winner's record of four attempts at 1600m without returning a single dividend, many Pick Six punters will be looking wider.

Lazaros and Final Reality, who has steadily trimmed in the fixed odds market all week, are must-includes at the weights.

Both get in near the minimum, and that's where you may need to be when you have a horse like Balmuse chasing you down.

Don't leave the Kelt Capital Stakes winner out either, even with 58.5kg. He'll improve a lot from his last-start second at Oamaru in weaker company and has won five times from six races at Riccarton.

The fifth leg, an R90 over 1400m, looks like another benefit for the northern visitors.

With apprentice claims Mr Benny Hill and Kenny Starfighter could be the only two you need.

But if you can afford to go a little wider, consider also Texas and Marty Boy, who is a lot better than his last three runs suggest.

If you do open the shoulders in the penultimate event, at least you should still be live for the final leg where you can trim up the outlay again by anchoring former southerner Jovial Jock. Now based at Cambridge with Roger and Darrel Lang, the 5-year-old is in top form in the north and is a proven Riccarton performer.

Other dangers include last-start winner Santa Anita, Gojogo, Cape Princess and Plaything.