KEY POINTS:
A campaign that ended in failure may be the key to One Over Kenny winning the Australasian Trotting Championships.
The exciting mare starts the toughest week of her career at Ballarat on Saturday night, taking on Australia's best trotters (and several of New Zealand's) in her heat of the series.
With the open class trotting ranks at their weakest in a decade, One Over Kenny and her arch-rival Our Sunny Whiz loom as the new queens of trotting.
But to capture that crown One Over Kenny needs to rid herself of her mostly costly habit: breaking stride at crucial stages.
That was how she started her season before astute trainer Phil Williamson coerced her into behaving herself through November and much of December.
But she was back to her old tricks at Cambridge last start and a repeat of that would see her struggle to qualify for the A$150,000 ($170,000) final at Moonee Valley on February 11.
Williamson is confident One Over Kenny will not let herself, or punters, down on Saturday night.
"I am not 90 per cent sure she will get it right," says the Oamaru horseman. "She is working really well and looks great so I think she will behave herself."
Williamson believes One Over Kenny's campaign in Victoria two years ago may be the key to how she is handling her present assignment.
She had four starts in Australia as a late 3-year-old, ultimately losing the Victoria Trotting Derby to Acacia Ridge.
"That trip really helped her handle this one," explains Williamson. "I was there to meet her when she got off the plane last week and she had travelled best of all the horses. She has eaten well and seems really spot on."
So thrilled is Williamson with One Over Kenny's condition he plans to tell driver Tony Herlihy to simply make sure he is not unlucky driving the mare.
"I think we have to take advantage of the handicap start we get over some of those top totters.
"Not that you really tell a guy like Tony how to drive."
If she does produce her best One Over Kenny looks the trotter to beat in the series, especially as many of her big-name rivals have had a tough month competing at the Interdominions.
The one who didn't was last season's Interdominion champion Delft, who started in the first round of the Inters before pulling out.
His career appeared to be at a crossroads then but he bounced back with a brilliant win in the Dullard Cup at Moonee Valley last Saturday.
The credit for that turnaround must go to Victorian trainer Craig Turnbull and he was rewarded this week when asked to officially take over as Delft's trainer.
But even though he is back to something like his best he faces a huge task to win this series, with his 30m handicap denying him his favoured pacemaking role.
