By Michael Guerin
If some of the biggest names heading to Alexandra Park on Friday are going to win they are going to need to do it the hard way.
Because plenty of the favourites face either handicaps or tricky draws in the five richest races as things start to hot up in northern harness.
Friday hosts two Group 1s, one each for the female trotters and pacers and both 2200m mobiles have seen early favourites cop second line draws.
The $100,000 Woodlands Stud Queen of Hearts will see impressive recent winners Esmeralda and Francent drawn alongside each other on the second line and if the second emergency Melody Banner is scratched then the two South Island mares will start from barriers 1 and 2 on the second line.
That will see them follow out Group 1-winning fillies Arafura (barrier 1) and Captains Mistress (2), with Ruby Roe alongside them at 3 on the front line.
That could prove to be advantageous for one of the mares following through but it is hard to see it being good for them both in what could become a very tactical race.
The draws were enough to see the TAB bookies open Arafura the $3.50 favourite even though she was beaten fair and square by Francent after leading last Friday.
The $100,000 TAB Queen of Diamonds Trot also sees one of the favourites in Belle Neige draw barrier 1 on the front line with her stablemates American Muscle and Faith In Manchester drawn wider but southerners Walkinonsunshine (1 second line), Hidden Talent and Ya Rite Darl have all drawn the second line.
Akuta and Merlin resume their rivalry sharing a 20m backmark in the $60,000 Lincoln Farms Franklin Cup and while they were on par in the Kaikoura Cup their subsequent NZ Cup week form sees Merlin open the $1.75 favourite over Akuta at $3.80 in a race where Arna Donnelly has three reps, Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan have two with Akuta the only other runner in the six-horse field.
Also drawing a small field but with the potential for the favourites to find themselves having to swoop is the Co-Op Taxis Northern Stakes for three-year-olds pacers.
Captain Sampson and Greased Lightnin are the two tightest-assessed in the field but are drawn barrier four and five so their tactics early will be interesting.
And the main trot both Oscar Bonavena and Mighty Logan will start from 20m behind albeit in a race lacking front line depth and few other open class regulars.
To see Auckland’s fields click here
