By MICHAEL GUERIN
The most unlikely milestone of the harness racing season could take two giant steps closer to becoming reality at Cambridge tonight.
At the start of the season Mark Jones set himself the goal of breaking David Butcher's record of 60 wins in a season by a junior driver.
That was the easy part. When Jones smashed that record he jokingly set himself a new target - 100 wins.
Deep inside he knew breaking the ton was unlikely but you don't get to be the best by aiming low.
After rushing through the 80s, Jones hit a flat patch three weeks ago, his charge towards the magical 100 appeared over.
Until last night. A hat-trick at the start of the Addington meeting followed by another win later with Them There Eyes saw Jones rush through to 96 wins and the 100, with three meetings left, suddenly looks possible again.
Whether he reaches his ultimate goal or not, last night would almost certainly be the first time a New Zealand junior driver has reined four winners on one programme.
To reach the 100 Jones knows he will need at least one and probably two wins tonight to set himself up for a final push next week and that sort of result looks probable.
Jones' best chance lies with Tee Off Tiger in the junior drivers' event, the first leg of the TAB treble.
Three starts ago the 4-year-old was a distant yet gutsy second to Falcon Rise on this track in a national all-comers record for 2200m stand.
Since then he has raced in better fields than he meets tonight without a deal of luck.
As a class two pacer racing mainly class one opponents, and back to his favoured mobile start, he will start a very warm favourite and it is hard to envisage his defeat.
Jones then has some handy drives capable of winning without warranting favouritism before teaming up with talented juvenile Tartan Falcon in race seven.
The Glen Harwood-trained gelding was fourth to a Mark Purdon-trained trio at Alexandra Park last start but meets nothing in their class here.
He has the best of the draws against mainly battling maiden class opponents and looks clearly the one to beat.
His danger should be another juvenile in the James Stormont-trained Till Next Time, who finished only one place behind Tartan Falcon in that race.
Till Next Time was then parked out before fading late in the NHT Sales Series Pace and is looks a handy pacer in the making.
With tonight's meeting only hosting eight harness races - the first race is for greyhounds - the Pick Six will start on race four. But while the small fields will throw up some short favourites their appears to be few genuine Pick Six anchors.
The best betting race of the night is certain to be the fifth, in which Noble Smokey could continue his outstanding Cambridge form.
He goes his best races when the pace is hot throughout and with plenty of gate speed in tonight's event he could get a tempo to suit.
But if the pace slows in the middle stages then the race could be made for speedy mare Arapito Lobell, who was a gutsy fourth in a fare tougher field last start.
Racing: Ton in sight after record night
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