Racing: Ingenious drive to bring win

Glamour mare Kiwi Ingenuity will need all her speed to stave off her rivals in the NZ Cup at Addington today. Photo / Supplied

The man in the hottest seat in today's $1 million New Zealand Trotting Cup admits a horror barrier draw could save him from himself.

And that might be enough for female pacing sensation Kiwi Ingenuity to win our greatest race.

Trainer-driver Robbie Holmes was initially disappointed when the cup favourite drew the second line in today's 3200m thriller, meaning she will almost certainly have to come from behind the majority of her Grand Circuit-hardened rivals.

But as the biggest race of his life approaches, Holmes thinks the draw could be a blessing for his wonder mare.

"It might force me to sit back for the first half of the race and that could be the best place to be," said Holmes.

Which is why the draw could be so crucial because Holmes is not usually a sit back type of driver.

Like many horseman who train on the beach, Holmes relies on the aerobic edge that gives his horses to win races - meaning going forward as soon as possible and hope their lungs hold up longer than their rivals.

Sometimes it can look like bad driving but it is simply driving the way you train. Still, it is habit-forming and Holmes is best known as a front-of-the-field driver.

Add in the confidence he has in his best-ever horse, coupled with a $1 million stake and Holmes could be excused for getting a little trigger-happy today.

While her recent dazzling trials would suggest Kiwi Ingenuity could lead all the way to win the cup if she had a better draw, with just one lead-up race she may be more potent missing the early fireworks, especially with four Australians in the race.

"Now, I am not worried about the draw at all," said Holmes.

"It will give her time to settle and then I will want to be on the move in the middle stages.

"But if the Aussies go really hard then I think she can come three wide with cover and still get home over the top."

Kiwi Ingenuity is attempting to become the first mare since the freakish Armalight in 1981 to win the Cup with just one lead-up, and that was a lot easier in the days when the Cup was won in 4:08.

Today, they will probably go 10 seconds faster, meaning any fitness concerns will be exploited.

"I am not too worried about her fitness though," said the likeable Cantabrian.

"She is very clean-winded and she has had some good hard runs at the trials and in private at Rangiora.

"I think she is ready and I wouldn't change her build-up even if I could have."

Kiwi Ingenuity might be the least experienced pacer in the race but she has the rarest of x-factors.

She is already our fastest race miler, recorded some crushing defeats of the best mares last season and was awesome in the Cup Trial last Wednesday.

She won't be able to bully today's opposition quite so readily and the big field will mean luck is a factor for her for the first time in a year.

But she looks the best pacer yet sired by champion stallion Christian Cullen, whose stock's biggest staying wins have usually come with horses facing exactly what Kiwi Ingenuity does today.

The Christian Cullens are the best standardbreds being bred in New Zealand but they are at their most potent when allowed to settle early before putting their abundance of fast twitch muscle fibres to work.

It is no coincidence the richest staying wins by his stock have come when stars like Mainland Banner (NZ Cup), Gotta Go Cullen (Auckland Cup), Roman Gladiator (NSW Derby) and Stunin Cullen (Great Northern Derby) have not been asked to burn early but allowed to use that speed as a knock-out punch later.

Kiwi Ingenuity could take that to another level at Addington today.