Talent-packed fields await punters at today’s eleven-race harness racing meeting at Omakau.
Racing journalist Jonny Turner has dissected each event and nominated five runners whose performances are set to have a big impact on Omakau’s big race day.
Rise Up N Dance
This three-year-old is a full sister to the excitement machine Shut Up N Dance, who showed incredible talent during an incredibly short career which was curtailed by injury.
Judging by Rise Up N Dance’s trials he certainly has some of the family ability.
Exactly how much should become a little clearer today.
Given what we have seen from his rivals, Rise Up N Dance should be winning if he gets an even amount of luck and turns up in the mood to run.
Under the expert training and driving of Nathan Williamson and starting from from a workable draw in barrier 5, everything in race 3 points to three-year-old making a winning debut.
Incredible Miki & Captain Tom
Race 4 looms as a stirring clash between Incredible Miki and Captain Tom.
Captain Tom announced himself as a horse with a big future with a crushing debut at Winton last month.
The three-year-old then went on to run credibly on Invercargill Cup Day among a talented field.
Incredible Miki has trialled up a storm ahead of heading to Omakau for his debut.
And crucially he has drawn barrier 3 – five spots inside Captain Tom.
Captain Tom probably deserves to start favourite given punters know what they will get with him.
While Incredible Miki is something of an unknown on race day, he has the huge advantage of drawing inside his main rivals.
That should put him in front of Captain Tom in the running, which is crucial at Omakau – a noted front-runner’s track.
The question punters may have to ask themselves is can Captain Tom come from behind Incredible Miki and beat him.
Or they may be tempted to take a much easier option – pairing the two of them up in a quinella.
Krug
Always an immensely talented horse, Krug made an epic return to his best form with a scintillating display in last month’s Group One Invercargill Cup.
The five-year-old has been kept up to the mark since then with an easy win in free-for-all company Addington.
Krug doesn’t have to go any better today to wow Omakau racegoers, but the reports out of the Dalgety camp suggest may be in even better shape that he was before his outstanding Invercargill win.
If that’s the case, sit back and enjoy the fight of the outstanding, free-striding entire.
With Krug set to start at a very hot price, win bets don’t look the way to go in the Central Otago Cup.
But with a very even field outside of the favourite, the value looks to be in, place, quinella and trifecta options.
Time Up The Hill
Running second to Muscle Mountain in Group One company is epic form for this mare to bring to Omakau.
Omakau racegoers should know exactly how good Muscle Mountain is given they saw the pure power of his arch nemesis Sundees Son at last year’s meeting.
Slotting into the same barrier 1 draw she used to chase home Muscle Mountain is a huge plus for Time Up The Hill.
Landing in front or on the speed should give the mare her shot to win this race.
She’s certainly not a turn up and win job, but her opening price of $6.50 seemed more than fair given where she’s likely to be in the running.
Another plus for the mare is there being a slight question mark over where the favourite Five Wise Men is at.
Though he undoubtedly classy he hasn’t won since June of 2021 and he has broken in his last two starts.
