They say there are no certainties in racing but the next best thing is Rand for the $40,000 Grand National Hurdles in Christchurch today, rider Eddie Lamb believes.
Lamb, the top jumps rider of the season, rates Rand as the best he has ridden but said he could not place the horse in the certainty category because of the vagaries in racing - and more so in jumps racing.
That sentiment was best summed up by horse's price on the TAB's fixed-odds market.
Rand was yesterday afternoon listed at $1.60 after a $3500 bet on him on Tuesday at a dividend of $2.10.
"$1.60 for any jumper is too short for my liking," Lamb yesterday.
"Anything can happen."
Lamb said that applied even more to today's feature, one of the toughest hurdle assignments in the country, run over 14 fences and 4200m - nearly two laps of the big Riccarton Park course.
Lamb does not have to think hard of the last strongly supported favourite to be beaten in the Grand National Hurdles.
It happened to him last year when he rode the well-backed Ballina Bold, who went into the race with somewhat similar credentials to Rand.
Ballina Bold had cemented favouritism with a win over 1600m on the flat on the first day of the meeting but Lamb believed that was partly his undoing.
"He tried to go at 1600m pace," Lamb recalled.
"He didn't settle until we got past the winning post the first time. He had run his race by then."
Rand also raced on the flat last Saturday at Riccarton Park. He didn't win but ran home strongly for fourth over 1800m in what was seen as a slashing trial for today.
Rand has not raced beyond 3400m, the distance of the $30,000 Wellington Hurdles he won at his last jumps start at Trentham on July 15 when he was ahead by four lengths.
The Omnicorp six-year-old gelding is unbeaten in four starts as a hurdler.
The strongest opposition could come from Stacey Jones, who was second favourite yesterday afternoon at $7.
He recorded a good trial for this race when taking out the $20,000 Sydenham Hurdles (3200m) on the first day of the meeting last Saturday.
The 10-year-old Racing Is Fun gelding, from the Wanganui stable of Kevin Myers, finished best to narrowly beat Bodle.
Stacey Jones was in receipt of 5.5kg from Bodle and exactly the same position applies between the two today, with the Sydenham winner exempt from a re-handicap.
Two others with form credentials are Melomai and Smart Hunter.
Melomai was fourth in the 1998 Grand National Hurdles and the following year beat all but Adipose David in the Great Northern Hurdles (4190m) at Ellerslie.
Melomai did not jump well in a recent Melbourne campaign but Dunedin trainer Brian Anderton has given the horse two serious jumping sessions since the horse arrived in Christchurch, from Australia, last Wednesday. He was also planning to send him over about three fences this morning.
Smart Hunter showed the distance held no fears when second to stablemate Gold Story in the Great Northern Hurdles after being posted three wide for much of the race.
- NZPA
Racing: Rand looks grand prospect for national hurdles
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