Marketplace all the rage again at Addington tonight

By Michael Guerin

Trainer Regan Todd says there will be no playing it cute with stablemates Marketplace and Mo’unga in the Commodore Hotel Superstars at Addington tonight (8.36pm).

Todd trains the pair and Marketplace will be everybody’s multi anchor from the ace draw in the Group 2 over the 2600m mobile.

He showed dazzling speed to win fresh up and has thrilled Todd since but he also has a proven open class pacer in Mo’unga with huge gate speed in the race at barrier 3.

So would Todd be keen to see the pair lead and trail by letting Mo’unga go early and come back around to wrest back the lead with Marketplace?

“That won’t be in our thinking,” says Todd.

“You start getting involved in that sort of thing you are asking for somebody else to have a crack early.

“The bottom line is the driving tactics are up to Craig [Ferguson] because he is the one out there but I’d think he will be staying in front and if one of them is good enough to come and beat him then so be it.”

Todd says Marketplace has thrived since that fresh up win and he couldn’t be happier going into tonight’s race.

“But Mo’unga blew out fresh up and I still think he is at least another run away from being anything like back to his best,” says Todd.

While Marketplace is expected to win the performances of Sideshow Bruce and It’s Tough will be interesting as both look to have genuine open class motors.

As for any possible trip to the Queensland carnival for Marketplace, Todd says he will wait until after tonight’s race and then think about it more over the weekend.

The Addington meeting starts with a highly competitive Race 1 and has some handy betting races with the exception of the two-year-old pace which is down to only three starters.

“I think the next best of mine would be Jay Jay Denario in Race 4,” adds Todd.

One the key watch horses of the night will be Donna’s Boy (R7, No.6) in a good handicap trot in which he will have Anthony Butt in the sulky with trainer Bob Butt at Alexandra Park to partner The Lazarus Effect in the Messenger.