Racing: Draw against Kiwi

New Zealand's chances of a historic victory at the home of harness racing have been dealt a savage blow.

Pukekohe pacer Bartolomeo was one of the favourites for tomorrow's $US375,000 Woodrow Wilson Pace at The Meadowlands racetrack in New Jersey. But that all changed when the speedster drew barrier eight for the one mile race.

That robs Bartolomeo of a chance to use his greatest weapon, his high gate speed, to try and stay handy, a position from where he could have tracked favourites Pujols and Western Ace.

That pair won last Friday's preludes, in which Bartolomeo finished a close second, and will monopolise betting on tomorrow's race.

"If we had drawn inside them, or even close to them, then we had a chance," said trainer Steven Reid, who will line up three horses at tomorrow's meeting, the biggest in world harness racing.

"But having drawn out wide we are going to need an awful lot to go right because these horses, especially the big two, are capable of 1:51 miles. We are not out of it because I think he is as good as most of them but it will be very hard to win from his barrier."

Reid will also start former Kiwi pacers Ross The Boss and Fake Denario at the meeting which is headlined by the US$1.5million Hambletonian, for 3-year-old trotters.