By Mike Love
It’s Green Mile day today at Mt Harding racecourse in Methven, with the trotters and pacers battling it out in two $25,000 features.
Race 6 (3:37pm), the Woodlands Stud Green Mile Trot looks set to be a match race between Oscar Bonavena and Muscle Mountain while in Race 8, the Methven 4 Square Supermarket Green Mile Australian visitor Better Eclipse is a dominant $1.70 favourite.
Last start Group 1 winner Oscar Bonavena ($1.80FF) is looking to go back to back in the Green Mile, and claim his third crown overall, for trainers Mark and Nathan Purdon with Blair Orange to drive. The Greg and Nina Hope-trained Muscle Mountain ($1.95FF) is looking to return to winning form. Of the rest, Midnight Dash and One Over All look to be the main threats to fill placings.
The pacer’s version, Race eight looks a more even line up despite the overwhelming favouritism of Better Eclipse, the Auckland Cup winner.
The major threats are the likes of Wild Willow who has a picket fence formline, Mighty Looee who won the Methven cup this year and American Me who raced in the New Zealand Cup, among others.
One of those ‘others’ is Franco Marek who is quickly becoming, if he’s not already, a public favourite. Trainer Greg Manson was absolutely thrilled with the six-year-old A Rocknroll Dance gelding’s efforts during cup week.
Franco Marek is currently a $3 second favorite for today’s Green Mile.
“He’s better than what he was in Cup week. He got that bacterial infection before the Flying Stakes and missed that race and some work. We only had one run (the cup trial) before taking on cup week. So he’s actually come on more since then,” said Manson.
Drawn one the second line, driver John Morrison will need to execute the finest precision in navigating through and around the field.
“Methven is a big track. He’s very fast so I’m confident he will have a good winning chance with one crack at them.”
Depending on today’s outcome Manson will be weighing up his options with Franco Marek for the near future.
“If he gets the job done today we will likely go to the Invercargill Cup and if not I wouldn’t mind going to Westport. Otherwise it’ll be in the paddock.”
Racing commences today from 12:45pm.
