Racing: Little Mother due NZ Cup success

[1] Little Mother, who is a top NZ Cup chance tonight. Photo by NZ Herald.
Champion greyhound Little Mother has swept all before her during her scintillating racing career - however, she has not won a New Zealand Cup.

Tonight the Lisa Ahern-trained 27kg ball of muscle will deservedly start as the warmest favourite for a New Zealand Cup. She was $1.50 yesterday in the TAB Final Field market for the $100,000 group one feature at Addington tonight.

Little Mother has been the dominant greyhound in the series this year, having delivered emphatic heat and semifinal wins. She is required to jump from the tricky five-trap tonight.

Surely only bad racing luck will deny this winner of 69 races and a record-setting $271,126 in stake earnings on this occasion.

"Everything has being going OK for her so far. There's nothing we can do about her draw. I feel she has improved during the series. I don't believe anything else in this field can live with her when she pings away and that is the key to the whole race," Ahern said.

Another Dollar was a brilliant winner of the recent Sister Cities Challenge Cup on this track. The scenario for this baby of the Cup field is to begin smartly from the seven trap.

"He has struck a bit of trouble in his latest races and that hasn't been a bad thing as it would have taught him a few things about open-class racing.

"What he has won has been on sheer ability. His draw won't worry him and we are expecting a bold effort from him," trainer John McInerney said.

If Another Dollar does begin quickly, then he can provide the talented, but erratic Sideshow Bob a nice drag into the race. He jumps from the eight-trap, which is likely to suit him. His trainers, Dave and Jean Fahey, are New Zealand Cup specialists.

His kennelmate Freddy John has to be brought into the equation. He has caught the eye in the manner he has boldly contested both of his races in this series. He has received checkered racing passages, yet he has still mounted sustained finishing bursts.

"To be honest with you, I really don't know what he will do here. He's capable of leading and if he can cross that early speed inside him, then he can feature at the finish," Dave Fahey said.