DaCosta in driver's seat

Reigning champion Wayne DaCosta starts this afternoon in the driver's seat for an 18th overall and 13th consecutive title, sitting on a $1,577,600 lead, with a three-timer lined up to steady his ship - UNBREAKABLE, STRANGER DANGER and PURE HEART - plus SUPERTRONICS being a live threat to his rival Anthony Nunes' BRUCE WAYNE in the second event.

Nunes, at best, could possibly land four events - BRUCE WAYNE, TOONA CILIATA, ORPHEUS and ADONIS - while hoping everything goes wrong in DaCosta's camp in order for him to win a maiden trainers' title.

They both have runners in the Gladiator Trophy feature race at seven furlongs, deliberately fielding speedsters in the event, hoping to set it up for their middle-distance horses.

However, they will all have to answer Gary Subratie's foreigner, HILLY'S HALO, whose win streak was snapped by WITHOUT EXCEPTION when going for five straight wins in the Coca Cola Invitational Mile on Superstakes Day, November 10.

Before her loss, HILLY'S HALO went on a four-race win streak, including what was the fastest seven-furlong recorded for the season, 1:24.0, quicker than SHE'S A MANEATER's 1:24.3 in the Eros Trophy, before WILL IN CHARGE posted 1:23.1 in the Gold Cup.

HILLY'S HALO entered the Invitational Mile off a near three-month break and, after shaking loose of LIGHTNING LILY approaching the half-mile, looked set to make it five in a row, turning for home a length clear, but was surprisingly overhauled by WITHOUT EXCEPTION, who she had beaten by a dozen lengths in June, clocking 1:10.4 for six furlongs.

Whatever it was that had caused HILLY'S HALO to be away for almost three months, forcing her to miss October's Gold Cup, could have been a factor in her shock loss, though she had looked pretty good at exercise, working almost every four days, three in some instances - possibly overload in an attempt to win the Invitational Mile, a win-and-you're-in for the $13.9m Diamond Mile.

Though HILLY'S HALO has not worked anywhere close to her summer form for her return, it could be that Subratie has taken her off the boil, opting for his signature training method, just enough to get the job done, the only notable gallop being seven furlongs in 1:33.0, the last five in 1:03.0.

Having already shown what she is capable of at middle distances, Subratie has apparently decided there's no need to floor the pedal at exercise, especially with her down to carry 110lb. However, he will fit the filly with a tongue tie for the first time as she takes on ANOTHER VIGOROUS, who looked really awesome when dismissing overnight allowance company at seven furlongs on Diamond Mile Day, December 1.

Expect a cracking headline with ANOTHER VIGOROUS, MR UNIVERSE and PATRIARCH, three of the quickest horses in training, mixing it up down the backstretch, a pace which should cause the speed to collapse, suiting HILLY'S HALO, who is preferred among the middle-distance runners such as ANOTHER BULLET, SARATOGA SIGHT, FAYROUZ and UNCLE FRANK.