The battle for the KZN Champion Trainer’s title offers punters an opportunity to cash in with two trainers locked neck-and-neck for the championship.

It’s down to the wire and with just five meetings left to the end of the current season it is still touch-and-go between Duncan Howells and defending champion Dennis Drier. The title is decided by number of wins in the province and Howells currently leads on 68 with Drier a close second on 64. Third on 56 wins is Dean Kannemeyer.

With both trainers all-out to increase their winning tally punters can be assured that each of their runners will be revving at maximum for the next fortnight.

The pair saddle eight runners each at Greyville today, including a couple of reserves, which adds some needle to the afternoon’s events.

Howells does not have a runner in the card opener but the rumour mill has been grinding that Drier has a smart first timer in Bad Attitude that will be ridden by Anton Marcus for Mayfair Speculators.

However, the gelding will need to be all of what is expected as he faces a few form runners in the likes of Paul Gadsby’s colt Lucius Fox, Northern Rebel from Mark Dixon’s yard and two first timers from strong stables in Twister Vortex and Bobby Shafto from Sean Tarry and Johan Janse van Vuuren respectively.

Both have runners in the second where Drier saddles Blazing Heart who has been showing signs of coming to hand and races in pacifiers for the first time.

The Howells-trained Steve Rubell found some market support on debut but it was over a year before he made another racecourse appearance. It was a modest effort on the poly but there may be big improvement to come. He could pay to follow in the betting.

However, Kannemeyer’s colt Badawee has more obvious credentials and could upstage them both although he has drawn one outside of Steve Rubell in Marriott Road.

The Big Chill does duty for Drier in the third and Roy’s Hollyhock for Howells and with the scratching of the likely short-priced favourite, Torrey Pines (coughing), the contest between the two becomes that much more relevant.

Roy’s Zara and Victory Cross will do duty for Howells in the fourth, both in with chances as is Queens Chapel for Drier whose two best recent efforts have been on the poly.

Howells has a bye in the fifth but Drier sends out Delirious Nomad, a winner of his last start and improved in blinkers. He takes on stronger here where Master Of Mischief is over his favourite course and distance and could make it home for Wendy Whitehead in what is an open affair.

Hallowed Spring (Drier) and Mythical Magic (Howells) are a possible exacta proposition in the sixth, the two drawn alongside each other with two lengths separating them when last they met, Hallowed Spring going the better. However, Roy Is Second could upset this prediction. She is re-united with Anthony Delpech after contesting the KZN Breeders Levelling the Playing fields series and although a little up in class she goes very well over course and distance for Delpech and Alyson Wright.

Roy’s Regis rounds off the day’s contest for the two championship rivals and could add to a possible good day for owner Roy Moodley who has a number of runners in with strong winning chances. The Australian import won really well first up on the poly track and may have too much fire power for his older rivals who are a fairly average bunch. Roy’s Regis along with Torrey Pines could prove a lucrative double on the day.

Andrew Harrison