Little Bro, third in last year's Hawkes Bay Hurdles, could take out the major share of the stake in this year's 3100m event.
The Takanini-trained seven-year-old is topweight for tomorrow's $15,000 feature race at the Hawkes Bay meeting and looks set to add to his great record over the batten fences.
Little Bro has had 12 hurdle starts for five wins and three placings.
He finished third behind Bodle and The Mighty Machine in last year's Hawkes Bay Hurdles, leading for much of the race before being run down over the final stages.
Jason Peake rode Little Bro in that race but tomorrow Wayne Hillis will take the mount.
Hillis rode Little Bro in his first two hurdle wins so he knows the Star Of Luskin gelding well.
Black Ace, an easy winner of the 2500m hurdle race at last Saturday's Hawkes Bay meeting, promises to be one of Little Bro's main rivals tomorrow.
The nine-year-old appreciated the slightly firmer track conditions last Saturday after getting bogged down by heavy tracks earlier this winter.
Black Ace is a good safe jumper, who has recorded three wins and four placings over hurdles, and has won three times already on the Hastings track.
Notion, a game second behind Black Ace last Saturday, is a good lightweight chance while Montacute, Bowler Brown and Gold Vasa are other chances.
Notion finished seven lengths behind Black Ace last Saturday but probably would have finished closer had he not hit the top of the last fence.
He has an extra 600m to travel on Saturday but is 1.5kg better off at the weights than Black Ace this time and has four kilograms less to carry than Little Bro.
Montacute turned in his worst hurdle race when a well beaten sixth at Otaki last start but that was over brush hurdles. He reverts back to battens tomorrow, over which he has an excellent record.
Bowler Brown finished fifth in the hurdle race at Hastings last Saturday, weakening after disputing much of the pace.
- NZPA
Racing: Little Bro in line to take HB Hurdles
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