KEY POINTS:
One Dream's absence from the racetrack has opened a doorway of hope for her rival trainers and punters.
But the great mare's co-trainer Dave McGowan says they could be disappointed.
One Dream hasn't raced since January, with a leg problem forcing her out of the late summer features.
Harness racing's often-wrong rumour mill has been in overdrive with predictions she won't make it to Cambridge for her division of the Harness Jewels on May 31, even though she opened a $1.80 favourite yesterday.
The concerns some have over One Dream's soundness saw two of her South Island rivals - Nearea Franco and Port Courage - as the best backed horses in the entire Jewels series yesterday.
"Nearea Franco has been hit several times," said TAB harness bookmaker Steve Richardson.
"We opened her at $13 and it didn't take long for her to come into $8, with a lot of $200 and $300 bets.
"And we had a couple of thousand on Port Courage straight away too."
They are both fine, in-form mares but they would need to improve to rate alongside One Dream, suggesting the money is coming from punters who think the champion mare is still under a cloud.
But McGowan doesn't share those fears.
"She had that little problem in January but it is fine now," said the Pukekohe trainer. "She is very well, her legs are fine and we aren't expecting any problems between now and the Jewels.
"In fact, she has come along so well we will be looking for a race for her before the Jewels."
The TAB opened fixed-odds on all 3 and 4-year-old divisions of the Jewels yesterday and attracted some rather odd investments.
Like the punter who outlayed $60 on Auckland Reactor at $1.30, a profit of $18 for the freakish 3-year-old negotiating the next seven weeks without injury or bad luck.
"We also had one punter put $100 on Springbank Richard at $1.50," said Richardson.
"Ultimately, they will probably win but there is a fair way to go yet and I wouldn't say we were giving them great overs yet."
The Jewels books will stay open until Thursday and Friday nights when key entrants are racing, at which point they will be closed.
"But we will try and re-open them as soon as possible."
The toughest race to assess was the 4-year-old male pace, for which Gotta Go Cullen opened a $2.60 favourite ahead of arch-rival Changeover at $3.
The pair clash for the first time this season at Alexandra Park tomorrow night.
"That race, like a lot of them, could come down to the barrier draws," said Richardson.
