Racing: Justice making no secret of his plans

Lance Justice says there are two certainties in tonight's Interdominion pacing final.

The first was that Justice's star pacer Sokyola will lead and the second is hot favourite Elsu will not be able to wrest it from him mid-race.

Sokyola is a renowned flyer from the mobile gate and Justice believes from a favourable draw of five on the front line, there is no point wasting one of the horse's strengths - his love of front running.

Justice also warned that Elsu would have to be at his best to win.

"I will be leading," said the Victorian-based Justice yesterday.

"If Elsu beats me, he'll be the best horse on the day."

Given the scenario of Elsu looming up to Sokyola in the middle stages, Justice did not need the question to be completed before answering.

"He would have no hope of getting the front off me. The only way he would get the front off me is if I was out of gas.

"He's probably won three-quarters of them leading or sitting parked [outside the leader]."

Justice said while Sokyola has had trouble on the right-hand Alexandra Park track, he has made a couple of gear changes for tonight, reverting to a lugging pole and blinds that he had raced in earlier in his career.

In training this week they have showed there was some advantage.

"I think my bloke will handle the track a lot better. He has reverted to the gear the horse used to race in when he first started racing. It's amazing how he's never forgot about them."

Justice also felt that Sokyola and stablemate Uncle Petrika, who races in the $250,000 trotting final tonight, were just coming to terms with the Auckland environment.

"They are the best they have been since they got here."

- NZPA