Racing: Justice League in Million field

Leith Innes will ride The Justice League in the Karaka Million tomorrow. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Trainer Nigel Tiley swears there is no conspiracy around the scratching of Showboy from tomorrow's $1 million Karaka Million at Ellerslie.

The shock withdrawal of Showboy allows back into the field the first emergency, the Tiley-trained The Justice League, considered by most to be the better of the two horses.

It is the stuff conspiracy theorists go to bed dreaming about, particularly as Leith Innes was booked for The Justice League and permission was granted for no rider to be declared for Showboy, who Innes would have ridden had The Justice League not got into the race.

"I know what everyone's going to think, but I have no control over that," said Tiley, who spent a long spell in the tough Hong Kong environment before returning to New Zealand and has little time for trouble-makers.

"The truth is Showboy had a bit of filling in his off foreleg. We x-rayed it and everything is fine, there is no bone chip or anything like that, but you can't have a horse running around in a race like this one with an issue.

"The owner wants him to race in Hong Kong and doesn't want any physical issues to arise from this so we had the horse treated."

Nigel Tiley, wife Lee and Lee's sister Mandy have ownership shares in The Justice League and the trio leased a 10 per cent racing share in Showboy from his Hong Kong owner for just the Karaka Million.

The TAB kept The Justice League safe in betting at $5 even when he was outside the field. The agency had him second favourite behind Maritimo.

The changed market now has The Justice League at $4.20 favourite and Maritimo at $5.50.

Tiley says The Justice League, part owned by former high-profile trainer Kerry Verner and wife Di, has totally thrived since making a winning debut at Ellerslie on the middle day of the recent carnival.

The youngster looked very green in that race and Tiley says that is simply because he's so good.

"When he'd worked with other horses he'd never been asked to come off the bridle, so when he was asked to in the race he didn't really know what to do."

Tiley believes there is now a lot more in the brain. "He's really thrived since then. His work has been enormous."

Queensland-trained Hardline and Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott's filly Strata Lady share the third line of betting on $6.

Hardline made a real impression when brought into Ellerslie to work on Tuesday morning. He won on debut at Doomben without the aid of blinkers and will race in them for the first time here.

Trainer Liam Birchley believes Hardline's beaten run in Sydney should be forgotten. "He had no luck and got back on a day when there was definitely an on-speed bias."

Former New Zealand-based jockey Damien Browne will arrive from Queensland to ride Hardline.

Strata Lady made a huge impression winning on debut, easily beating Bella Court, who showed the benefit of that experience by coming north to Ellerslie and winning at her next start despite racing very greenly and showing she was learning what right-handed racing is all about.

Whatever wins tomorrow night's rich race will not have the luxury of being able to still learn things.

This is a brutal race and whatever picks up New Zealand's richest prize will have to run strongly through the last 200m.

One horse who is likely to improve on her last-start beaten performance is Windborne.

Things didn't go her way last time and the performance was nothing like the stunning win she produced at Avondale the time before.

The TAB has kept Windborne safe at $9.

A wide gate won't help Dal Cielo's chances in the Karaka Million tomorrow, but there are other pluses to back the youngster's claims.

He was caught three wide without cover when he was successful on the Ellerslie track to confirm his spot in New Zealand's richest race and he's by a hot stallion.

"I thought that was a brave win and he shook them all off down the straight," co-trainer Murray Baker said.

"I'm very happy with him and he's a Per Incanto.

"They are flying and let's hope it continues."

Jockeys' best
A selection of New Zealand's leading jockeys offer their best rides for the weekend and, where applicable, last week's result.

Opie Bosson: Diademe - Trentham (R7). (Endeavour - 2nd).
Mark Du Plessis: Almighty Sun - Avondale (R2). (Antonio Lombardo - unplaced).
Leith Innes: Fast Learner - Trentham (R10). (Moozoon - 1st).
Chris Johnson: Miss Alice - Trentham (R10).
Danielle Johnson: Seize The Moment - Trentham (R4). (Sardaaj - 2nd).
Rosie Myers: Decorah - Trentham (R9). (Wild Rock - 1st).
Johnathon Parkes: Te Hana - Trentham (R10). (Kawi - 1st).
Sam Spratt: Perfect Start - Trentham (R9).

- Additional reporting NZ Racing Desk