Racing: Poor draws no joke for Kiwi Crown hopefuls

For years New Zealand trainers have joked about getting "visitor's barrier draws" when they take their horses across the Tasman for feature races.

But not too many of them would have been laughing after the draws were made for Friday night's crucial Breeders Crown semifinals at Tabcorp Park in Melton.

Unbelievably, of the seven Kiwi pacers contesting semifinals on Friday night six drew the second line, making their tasks of qualifying for the rich series finals on August 23 that much harder.

And to make matters worse, in almost every heat the most favoured Australian star drew perfectly on the front line.

Breeders Crown semifinals are renowned for being uncompetitive as the drivers of inferior horses are happy to concede easy leads to the "big guns" so they can get a drag into the finals, which means most of the Kiwi pacers face having to make their own luck in their heats.

So chances of a New Zealand victory in the semis look remote, with the connections of most of our representatives now certain to be content with simply making the final.

The only New Zealand pacer to draw the front line is 2-year-old filly Zenstar, who wasn't even expected to contest the series until a late change of plan at the weekend.

But she clashes with NSW star Lady Euthenia so could need more than a good draw to win.

Fellow juvenile filly Flying Pocketlands has a second-line draw against Victoria's best filly, Lady Belladonna, but does have the services of champion driver Tony Herlihy for the first time.

Herlihy will also partner her stablemate Caroline's Cullen in her semifinal against Kiwi filly Our Imagine Me and local Oaks winners Ima Spicey Lombo and Elixir.

Harness Jewels winner Tintin In America faces a horror draw against champion Captain Joy in his semi, while the Mark Purdon-trained Our Mercurio has the same problem against the most hyped pacer in Australia, Bonavista Bay.

Perhaps New Zealand's best chance of a win in the entire Breeders Crown series, dual group one winner Smiling Shard, could well be driven just to qualify after he drew the second line in a semi in which Bathurst Gold Crown winner Chariot King has drawn the ace.

Six of the eight semifinals will be live on Trackside TV on Friday night with the TAB betting on them, although the two juvenile fillies semis will not be covered.