KEY POINTS:
First came one of the scariest workouts in New Zealand harness-racing history.
Now comes one of the scariest pre-race conversations.
Scary, that is, if you own, train or are considering backing any of One Dream's rivals in tonight's $150,000 Pascoes Northern Oaks at Alexandra Park.
The champion filly will be a red-hot favourite in the classic, even after drawing the outside of the front line, and a freakish workout and an out-of-character conversation suggest even the shortest price could be worth taking.
One Dream hardly had anything to prove before heading to the Alexandra Park workouts 10 days ago and taking on a field of top-class older horses, so she could have been expected to simply follow the big boys around.
But she has got too used to winning and instead she easily beat open-class stars Napoleon and Monkey King and exciting 4-year-olds Christian Spirit and Power Of Tara in the 2200m mobile workout.
While the time was nothing sensational, it is doubtful a 3-year-old filly has ever beaten such opposition in a workout in this country.
It was racing's equivalent of a teenage girl outrunning the senior men in a 1500m race.
It left seasoned track watchers and rival drivers shaking their heads.
But it didn't shock her co-trainer, Dave McGowan.
"A good horse should be able to do that, even against open-class horses," he says, almost like he is missing the point.
Dig a bit deeper and you understand why McGowan wasn't surprised - he has been building up to this week all season with One Dream.
"When we set out her programme for the season there were two races more important than all the rest - this Oaks and the New Zealand Oaks.
"Once I started working her over longer trips to build her stamina up I started to realise just how good she really is.
"The further you go the better she gets and over 3200m she is unbelievable. We set her for this race and she is the best she has ever been. She is perfect at the moment and she couldn't be more ready."
Which means that barring something really bizarre happening tonight - and it is, after all, Friday the 13th - One Dream will win the Oaks.
McGowan's only real concern is the wide draw but such are the confidence levels in the camp it would not be surprising to see driver Frank Cooney simply keep going forward until he found the lead.
With a group-one placing and $26,757 for running second it seems certain any rival driver would be happy to trail One Dream and try to get towed into the runner-up spot.
Best of those could be Ohoka Moon, who has been an enormous improver in the past six weeks and races likes the 2700m will suit.
The distance should also aid Running On Faith, Top Tempo and Everlaughing Life.
And trifecta punters should include Belletti.
* One Dream was yesterday a $1.30 favourite on the New Zealand TAB's fixed-odds market to win.
Her nearest rival in the betting was Top Tempo at $10.
Equal third favourites at $16 were Running On Faith and Spicey.
