Babylon Berlin’s trainer Ben Foote says there is only one horse he fears heading to tomorrow’s $350,000 Telegraph at Trentham.
New Zealand’s richest sprint race has been enormously affected by withdrawals, with Railway winner Imperatriz, fourth placegetter Dragon Leap and consistent mare Bonny Lass all not starting.
That leaves defending champion Levante a $1.50 post-draw favourite and one of the shortest Group 1 sprint favourites in New Zealand in decades, while Babylon Berlin is clearly the second favourite at $4 ahead of Coventina Bay.
The Telegraph has come up an odd mixture of those three high-class mares, some out-of-form rivals, the veteran Justacanta, and five of 11 acceptors assessed at rating 80 or below.
That won’t worry Foote as Babylon Berlin is so fast early that even from barrier eight most of those rivals will be behind her early, the exception being Levante.