Racing: Tough job at home and at the Valley

Geoff Small's biggest problem this weekend is one so many Aucklanders can relate to - traffic.

Small will send his two best pacers, Elsu and Winforu, on vastly different assignments in the next 36 hours.

Winforu will take a step toward the Interdominions in a $10,000 sprint at Cambridge while Elsu hopes to take a step closer to being voted Horse of the Year in an A$450,000 staying slog known as the Hunter Cup.

Both are good enough to win, and a case could be made that both should win with any luck.

But luck in racing means avoiding traffic and that is where Small's shot at a feature-race double starts to strike trouble.

First to the easy stuff. Well, easier stuff.

Winforu comes into tonight's $10,000 free-for-all at Cambridge with some major advantages over his key rivals.

He is race fit, a fast beginner, loves Cambridge and has an excellent sprint record.

After finishing third to Elsu at Alexandra Park last Friday he would be almost unbeatable if he could lead tonight, especially with so many race rivals unlikely to want to make mid-race moves for fear of being flattened so close to the Interdominions.

But that is where the traffic problems start.

Winforu is a fast beginner and from barrier four might be expected to blast to the lead. Which he probably would if Linford Christie hadn't drawn barrier one.

The latter is one of the fastest beginners in New Zealand and with the ace draw at the tricky Cambridge mile starting point he is likely to try for an all-the-way win, as so many of trainer Doug Gale's horses do.

Small is fully aware of the problem.

"If Winforu could lead this would be his race but I don't want to get into an early war with Linford Christie and have a gutbuster before the Interdoms."

So it could be a far trickier race than it looks, especially from that mile start point at Cambridge.

While Winforu will be the horse to beat regardless of whether he leads or settles handy, punters would not want to be taking the short odds on him if he has to sit parked.

Winforu has a few logistical problems to sort out tonight but they pale compared with those stablemate Elsu faces tomorrow night.

The champ starts off the 20m backmark in the Hunter Cup and will need luck early and then in the middle stages to have any winning chance, even though he is clearly the best horse in the race.

"I know how hard it is going to be because I had All Hart in the race last season and saw how tough it was for Just An Excuse from his handicap," said Small.

While Elsu has settled in well in Victoria and pleased Small with his final 3200m workout yesterday morning, his trainer knows how crucial the start of tomorrow night's group one event will be.

"If he gets trapped back in the field then it might be almost impossible to win.

"They tend to get very strung out in the standing start races over here and that is why I'd love to see him step well and get past a few of the other handicapped runners.

"If he can do that then David [Butcher, driver] will have options when the moves come in the middle stages of the race.

"I know he can win this but he is going to have to keep out of the traffic jams because you can't come from last at Moonee Valley."

Small does take confidence from last year's Hunter Cup in which All Hart was a massive eighth after attacking Just An Excuse over the last lap.

"All Hart went good enough that he could have been right in it with any luck and Elsu is a far better horse than him."

Elsu was the best backed of the Hunter Cup runners this week, closing into $4 from his opening quote of $4.50 soon after the Victorian TAB released their market.

Considering he has not started longer than $2.80 in a group one race anywhere in Australasia all season, the $4 is the best indication of just how tough a task he faces.

Traffic problems

* Trainer Geoff Small hopes to win the feature race at Cambridge tonight as well as the Hunter Cup in Melbourne tomorrow night.

* Winforu deserves to be favourite at Cambridge but faces a slightly tricky draw.

* The Cambridge race sees the return to the track of old pacing heroes Holmes D G and Facta Non Verba.

* Elsu is firming in the market for the Hunter Cup even though he starts off the 20m backmark.