Nairn with strong hand at Addington tonight

By Michael Guerin

Master trotting trainer Paul Nairn thinks the bookies might have priced the last race at Addington tonight a touch wrong.

But he is also under no illusions he is going to just turn up and win it even though he has the hot favourite and third elect.

Nairn will roll out one of our better three-year-olds of this season in Kawatiri Trev in the mobile 1980m (9.38pm) in which he will also have serious back-up in Luvavici, who opened the $4.80 third favourite.

But while Kawatiri Trev looks a potential open class horse in the making Nairn says he slightly favours Luvavici tonight.

“Kawatiri Trev is obviously a good chance but on their work I’d lean slightly toward the other horse,” Nairn told HRNZ.

“Luvavici is older and maybe a bit stronger at this stage. 

“But he doesn’t have a lot of mobile experience whereas Kawatiri Trev could end up going forward if Bob [Butt, driver] wants to.

“It is a pretty good field though so they will need to go well for one of them to win.”

Nairn makes a good point as while Kawatiri Trev was excellent last campaign and looks likely to get better this time in he is still only a three-year-old and up against not only his stablemate but the talented Major Doosie and a field where the majority could make their way higher up the grades.

Earlier in the night Nairn takes Tu Tangata to the R35-45 trot (6.32pm), remarkable when you consider he once ran fifth in a Rowe Cup, beaten home by Group 1 winners Bet N Win, Mr Love, Queen Elida and Muscle Mountain, and himself beating home Oscar Bonavena.

Tu Tangata has been one of the great enigmas of New Zealand trotting since and has won just once in the 15 months that have followed that Rowe Cup and that, oddly, was in a 1980m mobile, the same conditions he gets tonight.

“He is probably not an ideal 1980m mobile horse but if they go hard he gets his chance,” says Nairn.

“He is working about the same as he usually does when coming back up.”

It is easy to make a case for backing Tu Tangata as he is the best performed horse in the race but back him is a bit like looking forward to Christmas, it involves a lot of waiting and you only really get rewarded once a year.

While having a trot as the last race is an Addington rarity tonight so too is having their best race of the night as the opener but that feels like it is the case.

While Race 9 is a good lower grade pace the first race sees high-class mares Beside Me, Winelight and Amaretto Franco and the dual-gaited Dynasty taking on the handy Trump Card.

Beside Me was backed in soon after the fixed odds opened even from her wider draw.