Gerard O'Reilly is staying positive but admits Tiger Tara's chances could be "in the lap of the gods".
The Canterbury Classic winner has the worst draw in the field for the $750,000 Group I New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington Raceway on Tuesday.
When emergency Lewy Risk comes out, the Geoff Dunn-trained pacer will start from the inside of the second line behind No Doctor Needed.
The draw obviously makes things difficult, says O'Reilly.
No Doctor Needed's manners from the stand have been in and out and Franco Nelson, who starts outside No Doctor Needed on the front line, has not raced since January and has only had one standing start since last year's cup.
O'Reilly is not over-thinking the situation because it is impossible to predict what might happen at the start of the 3200m journey.
"We just to have to hope for the best," he said.
"If they both go forward a gap might open up somewhere but you just don't know until it happens."
Tiger Tara's lead-up races have been over 2400m and 2600m but Dunn and O'Reilly cannot wait to get to the 3200m distance of the cup, insisting the Bettor's Delight 5-year-old is a dead set two miler.
Bookmakers have let Tiger Tara slide out to $11 which seems well over the odds, but his price would surely be shorter if he was off the front line.
Last year, as a 4-year-old, Tiger Tara ran sixth behind Adore Me in record breaking time.
"I know he'll be running on in the last 600m and that's when the gaps open up so hopefully he'll be thereabouts at the finish," O'Reilly said.
O'Reilly's other concern is that he may have to give the likes of Smolda and Sky Major three or four lengths head start but he will not be afraid to do some work to get handy with the tough pacer.
"His whole career he's hardly run out of the top four, he gives 110 per cent every time and he will do the same tomorrow," O'Reilly said on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Cran Dalgety-trained Mighty Flying Mac has been vetted for a minor lesion on his neck and the Racing Integrity Unit has declared him fit to take his place in the field.
Mat Kermeen
Reproduced with permission of Stuff NZ Check site here