KEY POINTS:
There may be life for Mi Muchacho on the other side of Friday night's Auckland Trotting Cup after all.
The defending champion goes into the $400,000 classic with the odds stacked against him, having not won a race this season and facing a potentially horror draw.
So why
is owner-trainer Richard Anderson so happy?
Two reasons.
The first, he has been here, done that with Mi Muchacho before.
And secondly, he can see some light at the end of the tunnel which has curtailed Mi Muchahco's career.
Just 12 months ago Mi Muchacho appeared to be facing mission impossible as he strived to win the cup, then a 3200m standing start, in his first outing for three months.
But some canny training from Anderson and an outstanding drive from Peter Ferguson saw him inflict a rare defeat on Mainland Banner.
Anderson says while Mi Muchacho's form doesn't look that hot the grey pacer is as ready for this cup as he was for last year.
"I'd say he would be about the same," says the Morrinsville horseman.
"At least he has had two runs this time in and while he didn't place at Alexandra Park last Friday I was pretty happy with his run.
"Todd [Mitchell, driver] said he got a couple of checks and he was still fighting on at the finish.
"I think he will be better for that and I might make a small gear change."
Anderson isn't letting the outside of the second line draw bother him either.
"It may not look that good but even if he drew well on the front line he might not have the gate speed to take advantage of it."
Anderson is hoping for a sizzling pace on Friday night.
That looks almost certain with so much gate speed on the front line and stayers, headed by Flashing Red, in the field.
But he is also willing to look past Friday night's race to what he hopes will prove better days for Mi Muchacho.
While he has a remarkable record on the right-handed Alexandra Park track he has been a costly failure in two visits to Addington's left-handed circuit.
That makes life twice as hard for the 6-year-old, meaning he has been largely restricted to contesting just a handful of open class races a season.
But Anderson says that could change.
"The way he has been lately I haven't given up racing him left-handed.
"I am not saying he will be as good left-handed but I think a lot of his problems have come down to his bad hoof and that is getting better.
"I might even look at the Easter Cup with him, although nothing is certain until after this week."
While Mi Muchacho will be around $25 on Friday night, Flashing Red did not survive long at $3.80 yesterday.
He was pushed out to that quote by TAB bookies after drawing the tricky one barrier on Sunday but that was soon snapped up by a series of $2000 and $1000 bets. That saw him tighten back into $3.50.
Cup odds
Auckland Trotting Cup, $400,000, mobile, group one, 2700m (run at Alexandra Park on Friday night):
$3.50 Flashing Red
$6.50 Pay Me Christian
$7 Waitfornoone
$8 Awesome Armbro
$10 Monkey King
$12 Classic Cullen
$13 Sly Flyin, Winforu
$14 Foreal
$16 Alta Serena, Napoleon
$21 Mi Muchacho
$51 Badlands Bute
$61 Mr Bojangles
