Racing: Master of his own destiny - NZ Herald (2024)

Southern trotter will have premier title sewn up should he repeat his spring heroics.

If Master Lavros doesn't win Trotter of the Year it will be his trainer's fault.

That is the blunt assessment from Mark Jones as he counts down to the final week of the season for his giant trotter.

Master Lavros returns to Alexandra Park tomorrow night for the Greenlane Cup, the lead-up to next week's $150,000 Rowe Cup on the same track.

Victory tomorrow would all but seal the award for Master Lavros, winning the Rowe would make it a foregone conclusion.

However, if Master Lavros reverts to the mentally weak version that has sometimes taunted punters throughout the season, he could leave the door open for a late Trotter of the Year challenger.

After winning last Friday's group one Anzac Cup, if Superbowlcheerleader added the Greenlane and Rowe Cups she could become the most unlikely trotter of the year, with the Mare of the Year honour already almost certainly hers.

The enigma that is 4-year-old Royal Aspirations could also sneak the award if he won tomorrow, the Rowe and then the Harness Jewels.

After winning the Dominion Handicap and the NZ Trotting Champs, Master Lavros should have put any argument over who is our best trotter to sleep months ago.

With the retirement of I Can Doosit and, eventually, Stig as well as Habibti's season being shortened, the other big-race players have been Stent and Irish Whisper, neither of who get an opportunity to add to their records because they are spelling.

While the best Master Lavros has been outstanding, he flip-flopped through a seven-race campaign over the summer during which he won only once, finishing out of the money in five of those.

"To be honest, a lot of that has been my fault," said Jones.

"I have been too easy on him and treating him like a big puss*cat, because he is still only 5.

"But I realise that wasn't helping him and he was getting away with doing silly things. In fact, he tends to go best after a hard run, which is one reason he is in this week to get him rock hard for the Rowe."

Jones said Master Lavros winning Trotter of the Year was his secret goal at the start of the season.

"It is a great honour and you usually have to win at least one maybe even two of the biggest trots to be in the running.

"So we obviously have a shot at it but it would be nice to seal it over the next week."

Jones was originally going to miss this carnival but with Stent, Irish Whisper and Habibti out he simply couldn't turn his back on the Rowe Cup.

While the TAB has opened Master Lavros at $2.20 for tomorrow's event he does have to give Superbowlcheerleader a 10m start because she gets let up in the handicaps being a mare.

That is a rarity at the highest level in harness racing and while Master Lavros's handicap is fair, the fact an old battler like Dr Hook has to give a last-start group one winner a start simply because she is a mare doesn't seem right, especially considering trotting mares regularly beat their male opponents off level marks.

Superbowlcheerleader is the $6 second favourite for the Greenlane Cup with Australian visitor Zedalite and Sheemon at $6.50.

The $3.20 the TAB bookies offered on juvenile pacing filly Democrat Party was snapped up last night as she moved into $2.90 in the $120,000 Caduceus Club Classic, for which her connections paid a late entry fee.

Four of the fixed-odds races were opened yesterday, with the other eight to open today.

Taylor Mile Night

Where: Alexandra Park.
When: Tomorrow, first race 5.20pm.
What: Premier meeting with 12 races including Taylor Mile, Caduceus Club Classic, Greenlane Cup and Trotting Sires Stakes.