Team Cullen cops cruel Show Day draws

Barrier draws have gone from one extreme to the other for Team Cullen as they head to Addington for Show Day.

On Tuesday trainers Hayden and Amanda scored one of the biggest wins of the couple’s career when Faith Not Fear used barrier 1 to lead throughout in the $200,000 Sires’ Stakes Final.

But today they face wide front line draws with Arafura (R8, No.8) in the Adore Me and Eyes Wide Open (R7, No.8) in the IRT Sires’ Stakes Trot Final while even I’m The Boss’s barrier three in the Dunstan Sires’ Stakes Fillies Final puts her outside key rival Belle Biddy.

“We have copped some tough ones,” admits Hayden.

“We are really happy with I’m The Boss and she has the gate speed to go forward early even if Tony [Herlihy, driving Belle Biddy] is keen to hold the front.

“Our filly is very tough and while she doesn’t win by much she doesn’t like other horses getting past her so that race night be a survival of the fittest.”

Cullen says he doesn’t mind Eyes Wide Open’s wide draw in the juvenile trot as it means he won’t have to lead whereas other recent handy barriers have forced his hand.

“It is a two-year-old trot so anything can happen but he has come on since his last race.

“He is a good young trotter but Duke of Bourbon beat him fair and square last start and he might be too good again.

“They are a good bunch though and we know our fella will be right in the finish.”

Arafura has had her share of poor barrier draws but still been enormous all spring so Cullen wasn’t amused to see her draw the outside of the front line in the new race to honour champion mare Adore Me.

“She has been copping it under the preferential barrier draws and now we get to an open draw and she still gets the outside of the front line.

“She is racing so well she can win and Blair [Orange, driver] will have options but it isn’t made any easier by the two other favourites being drawn 1 and 2.

“So she can still win but the draw won’t help.”

The day of the dreadful draws theme continues right though to the last race where Mystery Creek has barrier 8 but at least with the slight advantage of favourite Freeze Frame being drawn outside him.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand