Racing: Wheels come off favourite

When the smokescreen finally cleared yesterday, Mainland Banner fans were left in a state of disbelief.

Rumours about problems with New Zealand's greatest harness horse, publicly mentioned for the first time in the Herald yesterday, proved to be fact, with the mare's New Zealand Cup defence in doubt.

Her connections have confirmed Mainland Banner is troubled by unsoundness in at least two of her fetlock joints and her entire training regime will have to be changed.

Trainer Robert Dunn will start a beach training programme with Mainland Banner as well as having the joints treated by veterinarians and the mare's shoeing will be changed.

That will mean the mare will not start her season until at least the Ashburton Flying Stakes on October 23 and could have only that race and a trial before defending the New Zealand Cup she won so amazingly last season.

But Dunn says the five-year-old is no certainty to even make the cup.

"We will know more in two weeks," said Dunn.

"At this stage the Ashburton race is the absolute earliest she can race again and even that is doubtful.

"I have found in the past that the changes we are going to make with her will either work very quickly, or, maybe not."

If Mainland Banner is not ready for Ashburton then she would appear to have little chance of starting in the New Zealand Cup and considerably less chance of winning it.

Dunn said he and owner Ian Dobson felt the need to make a press release yesterday so punters did not fall into backing the mare in the fixed-odds betting, which will open at 2pm today.

But the reality is that their hand was forced as news of the mare's problems circulated among the harness racing media on Monday, although Dobson was denying them as late as Monday night.

Her problems have already seen her drift as much as $1 from her expected opening price in the New Zealand Cup market.

She was expected to open around the $2.20 mark but is more likely to be around $3.20 now.

Roman Gladiator, who is now trained by David and Catherine Butt, is likely to be around $7.50 or $8 as the second favourite, with value for last season's Auckland Cup winner Mi Muchacho on the next line.

While Mainland Banner's New Zealand Cup campaign is in danger of being derailed, her problems could also wreck her planned Australian campaign.

She was expected to leave New Zealand straight after the Cup for a four-month Australian campaign, taking in the Miracle Mile on November 24, Victoria Cup on December 16 before the Hunter Cup in February and three races in Perth in March.

That campaign would have set up a mouth-watering series of clashes with Australia's Interdominion champion Blacks A Fake.

Dunn admits that training the mare on the beach close to home was far easier than a lengthy Australian campaign spanning three states.

"If the problems persist then it would make Australia very difficult but I don't want to get too far down the track."

Mainland Banner's connections had been hoping to race her in North America next year as a living advertisement for her sire Christian Cullen.

The latter is also owned by Dobson, who is very keen to break into the North American breeding market.

Those plans, like so many others revolving around Mainland Banner, must now be on hold.

* If there was any silver lining to the cloud hanging over Mainland Banner's New Zealand Cup chances, it came through renewed Australian interest in the race.

While Flashing Red was already in New Zealand to be set for the race, he was joined in the nominations by outstanding Queensland pacers Be Good Johnny, Slipnslide and Cobbity Classic.

Foreal, who was also likely to miss the race in favour of a Miracle Mile campaign, is a more likely starter.