Racing: Dual champion returns to claim favouritism

A winning workout in Rangiora and a losing performance in Melbourne have ended any arguments over who should be favourite for the Interdominion trotting series.

Dual Interdom champ Take A Moment provided the workout when he downed some lower grade pacers on Saturday in his first public appearance in 13 months.

In that time the millionaire trotter has been sidelined by a damaged tendon which threatened to end his career.

Revolutionary surgery and hundreds of man hours finally paid off on Saturday when he was able to take his first real strides in anger.

The workout confirmed what trainer Tim Butt, the man who holds the key to the trotting series, has quietly suspected for the last fortnight.

That is that Take A Moment is the horse the trotting crop of vintage strength have to beat.

Butt trains not only Take A Moment but Lyell Creek. The pair opened as favourites for the series.

He had been extremely cautious about specifying which of the two he favoured for the series - for two reasons. First, he didn't want to put extra pressure on himself and Take A Moment and, secondly, Lyell Creek is a trotting icon and nobody likes to belittle icons.

But at Moonee Valley on Saturday night, Butt broke his silence when asked which he favours.

Take A Moment, he offered without a second's hesitation.

He does not base that opinion on the winning workout but on a more private training effort last week.

"About two weeks ago he was going through the motions a bit so I decided to step up his workload because it was now-or-never time.

"He worked 3:15 for 2400m and sprinted his last 400m in 27.5 seconds, which was as good as he trotted at his peak last season.

"I think he will be spot-on for the series and providing nothing goes wrong he is our best chance, even though Lyell is a champion."

Take A Moment is unlikely to race before the series starts on March 4 but will have another workout this Saturday before a final conditioning run at the Alexandra Park workouts the week before the series.

Only hours after Take A Moment burst back onto the scene, the horse who was the favourite for the trotting series conceded that title with a shocking run in Melbourne.

Sammy Do Good closed into $5.50 favouritism on Friday but is back out to $7 after struggling to trot throughout in his heat of the Australasian Trotting Championships.

He has been the best trotter in Australia this season but nearly galloped on four occasions on Saturday and finished well back, not making this week's A$150,000 final.

His trainer, Peter Manning, blamed a week of terrible weather in Victoria which had upset Sammy Do Good's training but those close to the camp suggest a nerve problem in the gelding's back may also have played a role.

His failure means Sumthingaboutmaori, who just 11 days ago was suspected of having a season-ending injury, should now win the Australasian championship.

She overcame a 30m handicap to win her heat on Saturday and - with other series favourites Lanson and Bristle also failing to make the final - it is Sumthingaboutmaori's to lose.

The bust on Saturday left Take A Moment as the $4.50 favourite for the Interdominions, with Delft, Sammy Do Good and Lyell Creek at $7.

Sumthingaboutmaori came in to $8 and Allegro Agitato is out to $13 simply because she has not been seen for a month.

The next round of sustaining payments for the series are today but that will have little effect on the top end of the markets.