Racing: Mangos seeks some outside help

Bettor Cover Lover is favourite for her division of the Harness Jewels. Photo / Greg Bowker

Brent Mangos is hoping the only horse to have beaten his superstar filly Bettor Cover Lover can pay her back in their $200,000 Jewels clash.

Bettor Cover Lover will be one of the few favourites on Saturday drawn wide on the second line in the $1.5 million harness extravaganza at Cambridge.

After two recent sensational feature-race wins at Alexandra Park were backed up by a sizzling workout on Saturday, Bettor Cover Lover looks firmly established as the best of her crop.

She will need to be as she faces starting from the outside of the second line, which can be nearly impossible to overcome in a mile around Cambridge.

That is where trainer-driver Mangos is hoping Paradise City, who beat Bettor Cover Lover in the Caduceus Club Final three starts ago, might come in handy.

Better Cover Lover will start from five on the second line, directly behind Paradise City, who has shown high gate speed in her northern races.

The front line of this divisional final doesn't contain many fillies who have shown natural starting speed and Mangos is hoping Paradise City drags Bettor Cover Lover through the field early.

"She [Paradise City] looks one of the faster beginners on what doesn't look a very fast front line," said the Pukekohe horseman.

"So I would love to think we can chase her through early and maybe get handy, or even parked, before the 800m mark.

"I think that is our best chance because it is very hard to come from back in the field over the last half [800m] at Cambridge."

Bettor Cover Lover warmed up for this Saturday with a 56-second last 800m beating older rivals at the Cambridge workouts last Saturday and Mangos says she has weathered a hard autumn well.

"She had a couple of hard races but I was able to give her an easy week after her last win.

"That is why I started her against the older horses on Saturday, because it was 2200m and she had time to settle and then just sprint home.

"I was happy with how she went and she will be better for the run so should be spot on for Saturday."

Disappointing weekend efforts from Paradise City, who faded at Alexandra Park on Friday night, and Collectable, who was beaten at the workouts on Saturday, suggest the juvenile fillies' pace is shaping as a survival of the fittest.

Many of the fillies are looking tired after some hard racing and it is Miss Elsie, who has had an easier time since March, who looms as Bettor Cover Lover's big danger.

Miss Elsie was good enough to overcome a conservative drive from trainer Colin De Filippi to beat older horses in testing conditions at Addington last Thursday and looks a filly of real class.

She does, however, face starting from barrier seven, making the start even more crucial because whoever of that favoured pair has the most luck early could come out on top. Bettor Cover Lover is the $2 favourite for the event, with Miss Elsie at $3.80.

With most of the early markets set so tight there has been little movement but with so many dominant favourites large multi bets can be expected by Saturday.