Australia's premier reinsman Daryl Douglas will drive Toe Taper in Sunday afternoon's $500,000 Hankook Tyres Hunter Cup at Moonee Valley.
Douglas, 34, has surprised many by jumping off the state's in-form pacer Sting Lika Bee to drive a $21 outsider in the world's richest handicap.
The decision has been made out of loyalty to the connections of Toe Taper who gave the Bendigo-based reinsman his first Miracle Mile drive on the pacer last November.
One of two Tracy Moule-trained runners in the Cup, Toe Taper boasts a Kilmore Cup placing at his only standing start and is first up since finishing ninth in last month's Inter Dominion Grand Final in Adelaide.
The big winner in the move is dual Hunter Cup winning reinsman Chris Alford who last night got the call up to pilot Sting Lika Bee for trainer Brian Tuddenham.
"I was a bit surprised to get the call because I've never driven the horse and others have, but Daryl recommended me when he decided to drive Toe Taper," Alford said.
"Obviously I'm delighted to drive him because he's right up their with the best chances in this race. He's been racing super and Brian tells me he's trained on well since the Ballarat Cup (last Saturday night) so I'd expect him to run a great race."
A winner at his past four starts, Sting Lika Bee was re-handicapped to 10-metres on Monday following his Group 1 Ballarat Cup victory, but that may prove a blessing in disguise come Sunday according to Alford.
"He's out of the draw so he was going to be drawn behind horses anyway," he said. "Back on 10-metres you've got a lot more freedom and you can often work your way through the traffic a little easier if you begin well."
"You need both a strong and fast horse to win off a handicap, one who can put himself into the race and still have something left at the end, which this horse can," Alford explained.
The six-time Australian driving champion added that luck in running would be a crucial factor in the result of the gruelling 3065-metre standing start marathon.
"There's not a horse in this race that cannot win it," Alford said. "It's a matter of whoever gets the breaks in the run as to who'll come out on top."
The Hankook Tyres Hunter Cup will be run at 5.35pm (AET) this Sunday and headlines harness racing's biggest day of the year at Moonee Valley.
