By MICHAEL GUERIN
MELBOURNE - The strongest harness racing assault force to leave New Zealand is in tatters today.
The Dream Team - the slightly dated promotional tag given to this team of harness heroes - are having a nightmare at the Interdominions.
Champion Christian Cullen is almost certainly out of the series and may not race again; fellow millionaire Holmes D G is racing like one of his legs has fallen off and Hunter Cup winner Yulestar has forgotten how to pace.
But the most shocking news to come out of Saturday's bizarre Victoria Cup was the injury cloud hovering over the little wonder horse, Courage Under Fire.
First things first.
In case you have been asleep for the past 36 hours, what was supposed to the clash of the Kiwi greats turned into the greatest feature race upset in harness racing for the last 10 years on Saturday night.
The party of the year was gatecrashed by 50-1 outsider Breeny's Fella who divebombed Shakamaker and a disappointing Christian Cullen in the last 100m of the $A250,000 Victoria Cup.
The win came courtesy of a brilliant drive from young Craig Demmler, whose former world champion reinsman father Ted gifted him the drive only last Friday as a surprise present.
A former Southland pacer, Breeny's Fella thoroughly deserved the victory while runner-up Shakamaker produced the run of the race for second after sitting parked outside Christian Cullen.
No disrespect to the Aussies but they were not the story of this Victoria Cup.
The greatest shock was the awful performance of Christian Cullen.
Able to lead effortlessly from the ace he dawdled around in the middle stages and should have won by five lengths.
But this was not the real Christian Cullen. This was a shadow of the champ, a shadow with sore legs and a potentially career-ending cough.
When driver Ricky May asked Christian Cullen the question the big horse didn't have the answer. For May it must have been de javu.
Three years ago exactly the same thing happened to him in this race with another $1.30 shot in Iraklis. Take a tip, whatever May is driving in next year's Victoria Cup - don't back it.
Just minutes after Christian Cullen battled up the straight it was obvious why.
He was coughing in the stabling area, convincing trainer Brian O'Meara the stallion had picked up the virus which ruined stablemate Cigar's Inter campaign.
"It looks very much like he has contracted the virus," said O'Meara yesterday.
"I will have him checked out by the vets but we also have a problem that his tendons don't seem too well. I think he will struggle to make it to the rest of the series."
Which, roughly translated from the normally confident O'Meara, means Christian Cullen's Interdoms are over. Simple as that.
"If he does miss the rest of the series, which I think he might, I doubt he will race again. I think he might just go to stud."
Now we have got that disaster out of the way, on to the next.
While Christian Cullen was spluttering his way into retirement, Courage Under Fire was sprinting toward Interdom favouritism with a blistering return to form, flying into fifth after settling well back and being checked at the 500m That left his trainer Bruce Negus beaming - until yesterday morning.
That was when the southern trainer discovered Courage Under Fire had badly knocked himself and redamaged his troublesome hoof abscess.
Even after extensive vet work yesterday Courage Under Fire was tender and Negus was hopeful more than confident that he would make it through the series.
"I will know more in a couple of days but at the moment he is very sore and I will have to take it easy on him," said Negus.
"He has to race next Saturday to make the Grand Final but at least these heats are only over a mile so he will be fit enough to start in them.
"But this has thrown his chances into doubt. I hope he will make it through the series but I wouldn't want to be backing him at the moment."
Courage Under Fire only really needs to run in the first five in Saturday's heats to make the Final, for which he was a $2.40 favourite last night.
But that is only because the bookies didn't know about his injury.
Once they find out, expect him to drift and Shakamaker likely to be the favourite by lunchtime today.
While New Zealand's two biggest guns are out of bullets at the moment the rest of the Dream Team is just as devastated.
Holmes D G was pathetic for a horse of his ability of Saturday night and is racing 10 lengths below his best.
Mathematically he can still make the final by winning his heat in the fastest time this week and hoping a whole lot of other horses perform terribly. But that won't happen. He is out of the picture.
And as if we needed reminding just how bizarre a ride the Interdominion rollercoaster can take you on, the horse who was the toast of Moonee Valley a fortnight ago hated the place on Saturday night.
Yulestar bolted away with the Hunter Cup two weeks ago but didn't handle the track at all this time, hanging and knocking his knees.
"He couldn't pace a yard, he was shocking," said driver Tony Shaw.
"At least we have two weeks to try to get him right but we will need it because I can't believe how badly he went."
When the crusher dust had settled and the punters headed home, the saddest sight at Moonee Valley on Saturday night was Christian Cullen, slouching in his stall, his usually proud head drooping. He looked tired and confused.
Plenty of other Kiwis knew how he felt.
Racing: Kiwi dreams shattered as stars falter
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