By MICHAEL GUERIN
He is the most embarrassing horse in harness racing.
In a few magical seconds of pacing power, Agua Caliente can make the most hardened harness heroes look second-rate. He can embarrass them with brilliance.
Then there is the other Agua Caliente. The fragile one, who crawls home at the back of the field, tail between his legs looking for somewhere to lie down.
That Agua Caliente makes you embarrassed that you ever once considered him a budding champion. Embarrassed you told your mates to watch out for this superstar in the back and white colours. Embarrassed that you backed him into even money favouritism.
Now it is time for Agua Caliente to stand up and indicate who he wants to embarrass next - his opposition or his fans.
The eight-year-old starts what will almost certainly be his last season at Alexandra Park on Friday night.
It won't be easy, taking on Holmes D G, Yulestar and the best pacers in New Zealand in the $30,000 North Shore City Stakes without a race under his belt.
But the standard of opposition has never been the problem for Agua Caliente.
Right from his 3-year-old days he has shown the sort of explosiveness that, quite rightly, had him being rated a danger to Christian Cullen and Courage Under Fire.
The sort of explosiveness that allowed him to thrash three-time Interdom champ Our Sir Vancelot in the opening heat of the 1999 Interdominions championships at Alexandra Park.
No, the motor is not the problem. The problem is the chassis.
Everything that can go wrong with a racehorse has gone wrong with Agua Caliente - soreness, viruses, stage fright.
Three seasons ago he was favourite for the Auckland Trotting Cup yet finished last.
Then last season he took his best form into the New Zealand Trotting Cup but gave the impression he had broken down near the finish line. He returned to racing just 10 days later but his body let him down again just weeks out from the Auckland Trotting Cup, for which he opened the fixed odds favourite.
But while Agua Caliente has burnt punters in the big time before, one of New Zealand's racing legends still stands by him.
Of course, as his trainer Peter Wolfenden could be excused for being a little biased but when you have trained Cardigan Bay you don't tend to get too carried away with other horses.
Wolfenden knows Agua Caliente only has one more shot at the title and says he is more ready now then he has ever been.
"He has always been all right at this time of the season before, things just start going wrong for him a little later," said Wolfenden.
"But I think this year he may be better. Physically he was perfect when he was winning those races during winter and I think he might be a little tougher now.
"He is older and maybe a bit stronger so hopefully he will be able to all right through to Cup time."
Agua Caliente has warmed up for his comeback race with two seconds at the workouts, the latest when splitting Ouch and Facta Non Verba at Alexandra Park on Saturday.
"He is forward enough to win on Friday night with the right run," admits the normally conservative Wolfenden.
"Of course he still has some improvement in him because he has a long season ahead but racing over winter has helped him."
While winning any open class race off a 20m handicap is difficult, in Agua Caliente's case sharing the backmark is hardly a disadvantage.
It should ensure he maintains his improved barrier manners and with only eight opponents he should be able to keep handy enough to give him a shot at cracking his first serious open win in a year.
"But a lot will depend on the run he gets. It is the same as in the New Zealand Cup. The horse who is right on the day and gets the run is the one to beat."
Looking forward to the New Zealand Cup, less than six weeks away, Wolfenden opts for Yulestar as his early favourite.
"He is a good horse and if he has strengthened on what he was last season then he is going to be a big chance.
"Last season was his first in the big time and he should be better for it."
While Wolfenden is looking forward to seeing his stable pacing star back on the track, he will have to wait at least a week longer for his flying trotting mare Natural Glow, also a winter star, to return.
The Auckland Trotting Club was forced to abandon Friday night's $20,000 trot, which was to have hosted Mountain Gold and Sundon's Way as well as Natural Glow, after getting only five entries.
Wolfenden is now hopeful of getting a race for the mare in the Morrinsville Trotting Cup at Cambridge next Thursday.
"If she shows us enough there she can fly to Christchurch with Agua Caliente next month for the Cup meeting."
The Cup meeting.
Maybe the last chance for Agua Caliente to embarrass some poor victims on the biggest stage in harness racing.
The question is, will it be his rivals or the punters?
Racing: Time nearly up to solve enigma of Agua Caliente
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