Racing: Crusoe needs x-factor not to be stranded

With absolute top class horses you wait for something to go wrong.

Horse racing is like that.

Mark Walker is still waiting with Darci Brahma heading into tomorrow's $300,000 Christchurch Casino 2000 Guineas.

You wouldn't say Walker is worried taking the country's No 1 3-year-old into the season's biggest classic this side of a middle distance, but he is shaking his head just slightly.

"When I mapped out this colt's season it was very definite and absolutely everything has gone exactly as I planned it," says Walker.

"It's scary."

Walker knows the vagaries of horse racing, but excuse him for thinking that outside of something going terribly wrong, Darci Brahma should get over the line tomorrow.

The wonderfully exciting colt's win in the Guineas at Trentham on October 22 was fabulous.

If Crusoe was not an acceptor you would say there is nothing in this field that could get that result around short of a miracle.

But Crusoe is an enigma.

He has what you would call a modern preparation - explanation being a no-pressure lead into the main game.

There is growing thought that, at all costs, you avoid overmatching a horse coming up to a big race, even steering them away from a tough win.

Crusoe was beaten into third in a R92 race at Avondale last start, getting a long way off the pace and running on strongly.

He is a serious contender, but only time will tell if he is good enough to get close to the orange Te Akau colours.

Darci Brahma will be at short odds, deserves to be, and there will be plenty prepared to accept them.

Walker never counts a win until it is in the bag, but rests on the obvious with this race.

"Realistically, how many of the opposition would be good enough to win a group one race in Australia?"

Whether we like it or not - and some don't accept it - our horses, with a few exceptions, are battling at group one level in Australia, emphasising just how good Miss Potential really is.

Darci Brahma has already done the group one deed in the T J Smith at the Brisbane winter carnival and will need bad luck to miss the winner's cheque this time.

Captain Kurt is a serious 3-year-old, but he failed to hold Darci Brahma out after leading on the home bend in the Guineas at Trentham.

He will be somewhere in the trifecta.

Final Reality needs rain to show his absolute best and the remainder look overmatched.