Racing: Injury puts rival out in front

Injury has ended the season of outstanding pacing mare Nearea Franco, handing tonight's Addington feature to arch-rival Kiwi Ingenuity.

Kiwi Ingenuity would have started a hot favourite in tonight's Mares Championship anyway but with Nearea Franco out of the race the big mare was rated a $1.30 chance by bookmakers last night.

Not only does Nearea Franco's scratching mean Kiwi Ingenuity moves in one barrier but she looks certain to race to the lead, from where it is impossible to see her beaten.

The loss of Nearea Franco did not come as a total shock to trainer Steven McRae but the timing could hardly have been worse.

"She has had her little problems along the way as everybody knows and she was feeling one leg a little bit so we got the vet to check it out," said McRae.

"I am glad we did because he told us her pastern bone isn't good and that it could break at any time.

"So we are going to operate on her this week and she will miss the rest of the season."

McRae is confident Nearea Franco, a former Harness Jewels and Queen Of Hearts winner, can return to her peak next season.

"Had the timing been a bit different and it was breeding season right now they might have retired her but as it turns out we have actually taken an egg out of her anyway to be placed in a surrogate mare.

"So she can be a mum and a racehorse at the same time, just not now."

The withdrawal of Nearea Franco means Kiwi Ingenuity should dominate tonight's sprint, her first outing since winning the group one Queen Of Hearts at Alexandra Park on December 18.

That win capped an amazing campaign in which Kiwi Ingenuity was at times a red-hot New Zealand Cup favourite before going on to run fourth in the Australasian record Miracle Mile.

All of which suggests any mares' race - even an elite one - should hold no fears for Kiwi Ingenuity.

Kiwi Ingenuity had an easy 10 days after her Queen Of Hearts win but is an athletic mare who does not take much work to return to racing condition.

She confirmed that when downing comeback pacer Baileys Dream at the Rangiora workouts last Saturday.

"She beat him fair and square and felt really good, so while she will improve on what she does this week, I think she is ready to win."

In form northern mares Trigirl Brigade and Lauraella have not fared well in the barrier draws and face a huge task even to place.

Trigirl Brigade was second to Changeover on the Flying Mile at Cambridge last start and was also runner-up to Kiwi Ingenuity in her national record mile win at the Jewels last May.

From barrier six she is going to be covering more ground than some smart mares but the scratching of Nearea Franco helps her in more ways than one and don't be surprised to see driver Jim Curtin go forward with her early.

Lauraella was a massive third in the four-year-old classic at Blenheim on Sunday, indicating she may be approaching her outstanding form of last season.

But from one on the second line tonight she would need a speed explosion up front to win.

Other highlights on tonight's programme include a decent trot race where Stylish Monarch will start favourite and the first Addington two-year-old pace of the season.

Later in the night harness racing punters can expect Kiwi star Bettors Strike to go around a very short priced favourite in a lowly $5000 ($6300) race at Tabcorp Park at Melton, outside Melbourne.

The Victoria Cup winner is using the race as an unusual lead-up to the A$400,000 Hunter Cup on February 6 because trainer Cran Dalgety thinks the timing suits him better.

Many of the other leading pacers being aimed at the Hunter are instead heading to Shepparton for the A$50,000 Cup there tomorrow night.

The Shepparton programme also sees the return of Interdominion trotting champion Sundon's Gift, who faces a second line draw in the Trotters Cup.

He is the second favourite for the Interdominions, the heats of which are at Ballarat tomorrow week.

MARES CHAMPIONSHIP

* Top class mare Nearea Franco is injured and out for the rest of the season.
* That means her arch-rival Kiwi Ingenuity will start an even hotter favourite in the Mares Championship at Addington tonight.
* She is a last-start winner of the Queen of Hearts at Alexandra Park.