KEY POINTS:
Good news for Monkey King fans - he now blows his standing starts only about half the time.
While that hardly sounds encouraging, it is about the only confidence boost trainer-driver Steven Reid can take into tonight's $20,000 Spring Cup at Alexandra Park.
Monkey King and some of the country's pacing elite start their New Zealand Cup campaigns in the 2200m standing start event, a race traditionally decided by barrier manners.
Which is why Monkey King isn't the favourite.
The freakish talented pacer goes into the race having blown the start of both of his recent public workouts. And no matter how talented he is, even being a few strides slow tonight will put him out of contention.
With that in mind, Reid has given Monkey King plenty of standing start practice at home this week and the results have been, well, hardly convincing.
"I gave him five goes at it Saturday morning and he got three right and made a mess of two," admitted Reid.
"It definitely isn't the starting tape, because we have let that ping past his nose a few times and it doesn't bother him so I am thinking he is just too competitive and tries to go out too hard.
"Because of that I would say he was 50-50, at best, to go away this week."
That is the bad news for the army of fans who have been drawn to Monkey King by his massive wins in races such as the Northern Derby, Messenger and Harness Jewels.
The goods news is that Reid says he should win if he does step away on terms with the field.
"He feels great and has been sprinting up really strongly so I think it all hinges on the start," he said.
The problem facing punters is Monkey King could be paying around $4, but those who back him are really taking odds of about $2, because he is only a 50 per cent chance of stepping away.
So a better bet should be favourite Awesome Armbro.
He isn't perfect from a stand but does have the advantage of a recent winning comeback over this track and distance to settle him.
With some fast beginners who like to run hard off the front line, the race will be almost mission impossible for those who get back. If Awesome Armbro can step safely he should be close enough and fit enough to win.
While Sly Flyin and Foreal are obvious winning hopes because they are genuine stars who have won at the highest level, the best each way chance could be Mi Muchacho.
He is back on the only track he likes and has the benefit of a lead-up race at Cambridge last week.
A quick beginner, he could even press forward to stake a claim for the lead and if he got there would be hard for even his top rivals to run down.
Foreal was opened at the crazy odds of $21 by the TAB bookmakers on Wednesday, before being backed into $11, and does have a series of solid recent workouts behind her.
While she has little experience from a standing start, she will be the last to come into line and could get a flyer. As an Interdominion placegetter, her opening odds were the best value of the open class season so far.
