By MICHAEL GUERIN
MELBOURNE - A closed door meeting in Melbourne today will go some way to answering trotting's most burning question.
The connections of champion trotter Lyell Creek will meet with a leading European trotting administrator, the outcome of which could determine whether Lyell Creek contests the Interdominions in Brisbane in April.
Knowing exactly what Lyell Creek is going to be doing in two months may not seem a big deal to most of us but it has become the hottest game in Australian trotting as punters try and get a jump on bookmakers.
Rumours Lyell Creek may bypass Brisbane and head straight to the Northern Hemisphere are as common as flies in Melbourne this week and punters see that as a chance to make some money.
Queensland bookmaker Brad Jones has been bombarded with bets on Last Sunset and Take A Moment from punters who believe Lyell Creek will miss the series and want to get the best early odds on the horses they see as most likely to profit from the champ's defection.
"The money for Last Sunset has been quite staggering. In have got punters who want to back him at $4 and the series is still two months away. I am quite happy to take their money." The doubts over Lyell Creek have seen Jones drift him to $3 to win the Interdominions, which could be the odds of the season considering Lyell Creek will pay just $1.40 in tomorrow night's Australasian Trotting Championships at Moonee Valley.
Before then trainer Tim Butt, driver Anthony Butt and main owner Graham Burton will meet with Scandanavian trotting boss Klaus Koch to talk over a possible trip to one of the world's most favour trots, the Elitlopp in Sweden on the last weekend in May.
Tim Butt is starting to worry then Brisbane series may simply be too hard on Lyell Creek after the champ was exhausted after coming off a 50m handicap to win his heat of the Australasian Trotting Championships last Saturday.
"He was still blowing 30 minutes after the race and it has taken him several days to come right," said Butt.
"That has shown me how hard the Brisbane series is going to be and the more I think about it the less I want to go." Butt says he would rather head to next month's Rowe Cup in Auckland then send Lyell Creek to the United States in April.
"He could spend that time acclimatising in the US and have a few trials to get used to the sulkies over there and if things are all right in May we could fly to Sweden for the Elitlopp.
"That would be a far shorter trip that flying him to Sweden from here which takes about 40 hours with stopovers.
"And it would also mean he gets more time to used to the Northern Hemisphere conditions."
Both Butt brothers are warming to the idea of an earlier start to the Northern Hemisphere stage of Lyell Creek's career but have not had a chance to discuss it with Bruton, who has been out of Melbourne on business.
But Koch is determined to convince the trio today Lyell Creek should bypass Brisbane and head to the Elitlopp.
"He is a champion and one of the best trotters in the world and he deserves his chance to take on the best in a race like the Elitlopp," said Koch. "He has nothing left to prove racing off long handicaps down here and we would love to have him in Sweden."
Racing: Lyell rumour mill in over-drive
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