KEY POINTS:
Hotshot Australian mare All Promises is set to miss the Harness Jewels series for which she was shaping as the favourite.
The Queensland mare has impressed during her three-race Auckland campaign and was last night the $3 second favourite for the $200,000 4-year-old mares' division of the Jewels, which will be run at Ashburton on June 2.
But trainer Shannon Price says All Promises is almost certain to bypass the series because of travel concerns.
"I don't really want to transport her to Ashburton by road and it looks like we can't get a flight from Auckland to Christchurch," said Price.
"So I'd rather fly her to Melbourne next week where she can contest the Queen of the Pacific at Moonee Valley on Saturday."
Price's interest in the Melbourne race grew after All Promises handled her first standing start well at Alexandra Park last Friday en route to running third to Christian Spirit.
That followed a fourth and third in the Taylor Mile and Messenger Pace respectively, performances that helped shorten into second favourite for her division of the Jewels, just behind favourite Bachelorette.
But because only New Zealand stake earnings count towards getting into the Jewels, All Promises still needs to win or run second at Alexandra Park on Friday to qualify for Ashburton.
For that reason Price nominated her for Friday's meeting but rang up to withdraw her, and then was surprised to see her back in the fields last night. All will be sorted out in the next couple of days.
"At that stage we weren't sure what we were doing but more and more we are sure we will head to Melbourne instead.
"It is a good race for her and it is actually easier to get there than it is to Christchurch.
"If things do change later during the week and we found out there was a flight to Christchurch then we might line up at Alexandra Park and see what happens, but that is unlikely."
While that would be bad news for punters who have backed All Promises in the Jewels, it would be great news for Dave Kaa, the Waikato part-time trainer of Bachelorette.
The mare has won her last three races and will firm into clear favouritism for the $200,000 event if All Promises pulls out.
* Nemisis has become the fastest New Zealand-bred pacer of all time.
The former Canterbury pacer scorched around The Meadowlands track in New Jersey in 1:48.2 on Saturday to become the quickest pacer bred in this part of the world.
Nemisis won five races in New Zealand for trainer Brian Kerr but always looked better than that and has won close to US$90,000 ($122,000) in the US.
Only a few years ago a 1:48.2 time would have made Nemisis one of the best pacers in the world but his time comes during a speed explosion at The Meadowlands, where a large number of Kiwi pacers have paced 1:50 or faster in recent weeks.
The New Zealand race record for a mile is 1:53.5, set by Scuse Me in a Taylor Mile at Alexandra Park.
