Mixed draws for Team Cullen for Friday's Harness Million night

By Michael Guerin

Team Cullen’s dream week didn’t extend all the way to the barrier draws for Friday’s mammoth meeting at Addington.

And while trainers Hayden and Amanda Cullen still find themselves with the three favourites in the rich NZB Standardbred Harness Million races, their biggest name has been handed the most difficult draw.

Team Cullen has I’m The Boss as a red hot in the $150,000 Fillies Final for the two-year-olds after drawing barrier two and is going to be plenty of punter’s multi anchor.

They also have the $1.55 favourite Eyes Wide Open in the $75,000 juvenile trot, with Hayden so happy with the unbeaten gelding’s work on Saturday he called off a trip to Addington to fast work him this week.

“He missed the Sundon a couple of weeks ago with a very minor issue and because of that I was going to take him to Addington to work this week,” says Cullen.

“But he worked so well here on Saturday we are not going to bother now. He is right back to his best.”

Eyes Wide Open will need to be as the race has excellent depth for a juvenile trot with northerners Apollo Eleven and Tactico, one proven and the other promising, joining the field while the talented but at this stage erratic Duke of Bourbon returns, but on the unruly.

While the front line draws should mean those two Cullen reps get every chance their unbeaten pacing juvenile male stable rep Faith Not Fear has drawn one of the marbles they wouldn’t have wanted in his $200,000 final on the stunning night.

He will start from one on the second line behind 50-1 chance Tactacool in a race where last Friday’s shock failure Tour Party gets barrier three.

Even if the latter leads Faith Not Fear faces being three back on the markers, which would be less than ideal.

But driver Blair Orange has a pretty obvious Plan B, with second favourite Lucky Luka drawn right alongside him at barrier two on the second line so Orange could have to the option to look to slide straight on to his back and let Tony Herlihy take him into the race.

The pair both drawing the second line has opened up the race and the market, with the favourites opening $2.50 for Faith Not Fear and $2.60 for Lucky Luka once the draws were released.

Jumal opened $1.28 to win the $100,000 Braxton Farriers Flying Stakes even from barrier 7 with second favourite Franco Lomu seemingly perfectly placed from barrier 2.

The Woodlands Stud Hilarious Guest for the three-year-old pacing girls sees exciting northerner Rides The Waves (7) making her southern debut drawn just inside Cath and Secret Wish is what should be a great form pointer to the what lies ahead for this crop.

Add in some of our biggest trotting names in the Renwick Farms Trotting Classic, in which Habibti Pat again gets a 20m start on Mighty Logan, and the $50,000 Southern Mares Classic and Friday is shaping as one of Addington’s best nights of the season.

To see Friday's fields at Addington click here