Racing: Visitor's draw first up for champion racemare

Racing's glamour princess Mainland Banner faces a horror northern debut after drawing the worst possible barrier.

The New Zealand Trotting Cup winner, beaten just once in 14 starts, will start from the inside of the second line in a $30,000 mobile pace at Alexandra Park on Friday night, the feature on the first night of the inaugural Auckland tri-code cup week carnival.

The draw means Mainland Banner could have to pull back to last, giving away a decent start to in-form rivals Imagine That and Onedin Legacy as well as to the northern speedster Napoleon.

Mainland Banner is using the race as her final lead-up to the $300,000 Auckland Cup on Friday week and her second line draw should at least ensure her army of supporters get better odds this week than her recent $1.35 win dividends.

The 4-year-old mare indicated the right-handed Alexandra Park track held no fears for her when she cornered well in a private workout there on Saturday.

"She has settled in well, too well if anything because she won't stop eating," said stable foreman Rhys Fensom.

Another bonus for Mainland Banner is that arch-rival and Auckland Cup second favourite Alta Serena will bypass Friday's race and head straight into the cup.

Mainland Banner heads the cup nominations which closed yesterday and the major shock was the entry of Mi Muchacho.

Last season's 4-year-old of the year has not raced since December and started to struggle with injury just before November's New Zealand Cup.

Yet trainer Richard Anderson intends starting him in the cup provided he works well this week.

US pacer Articulator, now trained by Tim Butt, is also entered but will not start.

He is based in Australia, where he is preparing for the A$2.1 million Interdominion series which starts in Tasmania on March 19.

Articulator and fellow US import Cams Fool, who is also trained by Butt, both impressed when winning their first Australian outings at the Ballarat trials on Saturday.

Cams Fool was the more impressive, showing gate speed before beating Foreal and Robin Hood and was sensationally backed from $34 to $12 immediately after the trial, leaving bookmakers Australia-wide facing a A$200,000 payout.

* Mainland Banner is expected to open a $2.50 favourite ahead of Alta Serena when the fixed-odds market on the Auckland Cup opens today.