By Jonny Turner
Is 20m a long way in a Group 1?
That’s the question harness racing fans will need to ask themselves ahead of the Group 1 Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup on Friday.
Race favourite and defending champion Republican Party will be back in the south ready for a repeat of his brilliant 2024 victory in Southland’s biggest race.
An outstanding fresh-up victory at Addington last week left no doubt about what kind of shape he is in ahead of his title defence.
That means considering whether Republican Party is fit enough or good enough to go back to back is a rather pointless exercise.
But the key factor looks to be how much of an influence moving back from a 10m handicap last year to 20m this year is going to have on the six-year-old.
A swift getaway set up last year’s win and with how Republican Party has been beginning in his recent standing starts, his manners have to be considered a big plus.
On the other side of the equation is that the star pacer will still be giving away a head-start to genuine open class horses.
Among them is the rising star of New Zealand’s open class ranks in The Lazarus Effect.
There was little doubt about the pacer’s potential beforehand, but he confirmed his star status with an outstanding effort to finish second to Kingman in his first taste of Group 1 racing in The Christian Cullen.
Trainer-driver Bob Butt tuned The Lazarus Effect up for his Invercargill Cup tilt with an effortless win in the Geraldine Cup.
The Lazarus Effect shares the front line with another serious winning threat in We Walk By Faith.
The Hayden and Amanda Cullen trained pacer was comprehensively beaten by Republican Party at Addington last week.
However, in their prior meeting in the New Zealand Cup, We Walk By Faith beat Republican Party home off level marks.
Punters will need to consider how much to read into that last run from We Walk By Faith, who raced keenly in the lead in full blinds.
Wedged between the front-markers and backmarker Republican Party is Alta Meteor, who split Republican Party and We Walk By Faith at Addington last week.
To see the Invercargill fields click here
The five-year-old is part of a powerful squad Stonewall Stud are hoping can add to their great recent run on Southland’s premier days.