KEY POINTS:
The new harness racing season will see a changed attitude from leading driver Mark Jones.
Jones started last season hoping to push for a record number of New Zealand wins by a reinsman, but soon realised he faced mission impossible.
"I was getting the quantity but not the quality of drives," he said.
"I'd love to have a crack at the record of wins but realistically it is not viable.
"All that travelling to sometimes drive average horses isn't worth it financially. So this season I will concentrate more on quality and that means I will travel less.
"I'll still head to Forbury and Southland when needed but in Southland's case not every meeting."
The new harness racing season kicks off at Addington today and Canterbury's Jones, 28, rates So And So (race seven) his best drive.
"He has been trotting good races and comes up in the handicaps from last week," he said. 'That has to make him a chance because the field is no better."
So And So has been in consistent form over the winter and while he faces a 10m handicap, it is not a big field, meaning he should have few traffic problems.
Hardest for him to beat should be Joe Boy, who overcame a 20m handicap to win convincingly last week and looks back to something like his best form.
Jones also warns punters to look out for Stormy Seas (race three). "He has been going good races too and has to be an each-way chance in a field like that."
Today's meeting hosts a $100,000 guaranteed Pick6, which will start earlier than usual in race three.
While there are few obvious anchors, it is hard to go past Village Ike as the pacer to beat in race four.
He didn't have a lot of luck in his comeback race last Friday but ran on well and looks better than most he meets this time.
And in race six Swinger beat a similar field last week yet stays in the same grade and has drawn the ace, making her very hard to beat over the 1950m.
- NZPA
