Racing: No Excuse, this fella can beat Elsu

There were two ways Robert Mitchell could react to the most powerful image of the harness racing season.

After watching Elsu destroy his Hunter Cup rivals at Moonee Valley on February 12, Mitchell could have:

a) thrown the remote at the television set, kicked the cat and gone to bed with extremely elevated blood pressure;

or b) enjoyed the magic moment for what is was.

Mitchell chose option B. Which pretty much sums him up.

As the trainer of Just An Excuse, Mitchell would have been excused for feeling Elsu's fury more than most because Elsu may be the biggest obstacle standing between Mitchell and his Interdominion dream.

Going into Friday night's first round of the Interdominions at Alexandra Park, Just An Excuse is the $7.50 second favourite for the ultimate prize, a distant second to Elsu at $2.50.

But the reason Mitchell enjoyed watching Elsu mince his Hunter Cup opponents is that he may be the only trainer in the series who has a horse with as much talent as the champ.

Elsu and Just An Excuse have waged war with each other for 18 months and the honours are divided. By Cook Strait.

When they race at Addington, Just An Excuse wins. When they race at Alexandra Park, Elsu wins.

That means at least Mitchell knows his giant pacer actually has what is takes to come from behind Elsu to beat him, as he did in that still unbelievable New Zealand Cup in November.

"Everybody knows what a great horse Elsu is and his Hunter Cup win was awesome, but we can't go into the series scared of him," said Mitchell. "After all, we have beaten him before.

"We will be there to do our best and I am going in confident because I know how well this horse is."

How well?

"I think he is every bit as good now as he was at New Zealand Cup time, maybe a bit better," said Mitchell.

That is a mammoth statement when you remember Just An Excuse broke 1:54 for his last mile to run Elsu down in the New Zealand Cup before sitting parked outside Mister D G to nose him out in the Free-For-All three days later.

That started a golden summer that ended with an Auckland Cup disaster, an early gallop followed by a below par performance.

Since then Just An Excuse has enjoyed an eight-day break and gone about his work quietly, his only change in routine being three trips north to work on a different beach, alongside Michelle Wallis' much vaunted trotting team.

For most horses that would not be enough legwork but Just An Excuse's best wins at Alexandra Park have been when he was fresh - the 2003 Taylor Mile, the Spring Cup of the same year and this season's North Shore City Stakes.

Mitchell says Just An Excuse is as well now as he was leading into those races. But there is a difference between being well and being fit.

Well means feeling good, no soreness, ready to go.

Fit means being able to overcome the lactic acids that will undoubtedly come visiting Just An Excuse's muscles in Friday night's opening heat.

"I know he is feeling good and he is pretty fit but like every trainer in this series I am aiming him at one race, on March 18," he says of the $750,000 Grand Final.

"So I think he may be just short of winning fitness for this week. In saying that he is very hard to predict because he is so good fresh."

Mitchell toyed with giving Just An Excuse a lead-up race but wanted to avoid four races in as many week, settling for a 3:6 workout over 2400m down a beach outside Waiuku last Friday.

"That was almost as good as a race, once you chuck in the four-hour round float trip to get him there.

"I know it may not look like the ideal preparation heading into a hard series but he loves being fresh."

Mitchell's cheerful demeanour even extends to Friday night's second line draw in a hot heat.

"There are some good horses there and it looks like they will go hard but that could suit us.

"I have always said he is just as good driven with a sit so maybe this is our chance to find out."

So Mitchell's pre-Interdom worry slate is clean.

Not worried about Elsu. Unconcerned by expensive last-start failure. Unfazed by second line draw in opening heat. And as for Just An Excuse's lack of gate speed?

"He may not have much gate speed but he follows speed good," he offers.

Looks like Mitchell's cat is safe for some time yet.

Back to business

* Just An Excuse will start in the first heat of the Interdominions.

* He faces a second line draw in his first race since the Auckland Cup.

* The giant pacer is the $7.50 second favourite for the final of March 18.

* His trainer Robert Mitchell is pleased with the gelding's progress.