Rock N Roll Doo may be one of the most feared Australian horses to come to New Zealand in years but trainer Michael Stanley is warning punters not to expect his best work in the $50,000 Ashburton Flying Stakes at 2.55pm (AEDT) today.

The last-start stunning winner of the Pryde's EasiFeed Victoria Cup makes his New Zealand race debut in his homeland (he was bred in NZ) up against most of the host's leading pacers in what will be the pivotal lead-up race to the IRT New Zealand Cup at Addington on November 8.

Rock N Roll Doo has the motor to potentially become the dominant pacer on the Australasian Grand Circuit but Stanley said while he would love to win today the end goal was the Cup.

“He has only had the hopples on once since the Victoria Cup two weeks ago,” Stanley said.

“He actually doesn’t do a lot of fast work anyway. I ride him, swim him and canter him in the cart but he can’t be at his peak for this race after he missed four days real work when he travelled here.

“Then we have the fact it is his first standing start race, so I will be just trying to get him away and keep him happy. So whatever he does here he will improve on.”

Rock N Roll Doo has been so powerful this spring and should love the bigger NZ tracks. It wouldn’t stun to still see him win today but with Stanley’s reservations and attitude to the Flying Stakes local hero Self Assured looks the better bet.

He has pleased the All Stars in training and never goes a bad race, so, if he steps evenly, which he has been doing this campaign, he has the tools to win in many different ways.

Outside of the two favourites, B D Joe continues to garner more respect with every run this campaign and, while this is his toughest test yet, it would surprise to not see him in the finish.

Today’s meeting is crammed with good races leading into more serious races at Addington over Cup week and Muscle Mountain will rightly be everybody’s multi anchor in the feature trot, where anything like his best work will be good enough to win.

The same applies to unbeaten juvenile filly Millwood Nike (R4 N4), while there is stable confidence True Fantasy (R6 N6) will return to her best today after a heart fibrillation last start.

The favourites roll should continue with Darling Me (R10 N8), but multi takers should beware in the first feature of the day when Franco Mac and Republican Party clash in race three.

Franco Mac holds the key to the race because he has the gate speed to lead Republican Party and, while he has taken a trail in his last three starts, driver Natalie Rasmussen has indicated she will attempt to hold the lead, which could make life very difficult for Republican Party.

Another of the big battles will be Highgrove against his own mental fragilities and his rivals in the Hambletonian Trot for three-year-olds but, as the winner of his only two starts at Ashburton, the favourite makes the most appeal.

WATCH THE BOX SEAT FOR MORE FROM MICK GUERIN AND GREG O'CONNOR:

John Dunn warns punters to look out for a greatly improved performance from Highgrove when the big trotter returns to Ashburton on Monday.

The Northern Trotting Derby winner takes on his last-start Addington conqueror Hot To Trot in the $30,000 Hambeltonian Classic on a track where Highgrove is unbeaten in two starts.

He is rated the best of this three-year-old crop as they start the second major part of their season but Hot To Trot was too fast for him last start when Dunn drove Highgrove conservatively.

“We loomed up to win and even though I drove him for one run I thought he was still going to,” Dunn said.

“But he definitely blew out the last 150m and he has taken huge improvement from that. It has really brought him on.”

Dunn said with Highgrove trotting squarely he won’t be scared to press forward from barrier seven and admitted he would need to stay handier.

“Hot To Trot is a pretty good horse, especially over those short trips, so he won’t be easy to beat, but I know our fella will be better.”

Diamond Racing’s champion trotter Sundees Son has been allowed to miss Monday’s Flying Stakes Trot and will instead head to Kaikoura where he will meet Bolt For Brilliance in the South Bay Trotters Cup.

“He has just had a few niggles, nothing serious, the sort of thing that bother all horses his age and that what has been behind his gallop the last two starts at Addington.

“He will be fine for Kaikoura but the Flying Mile at Ashburton has never really been his race and I don’t think he can beat Muscle Mountain or even Majestic Man over the sprint trip.

“So he will almost certainly go to Kaikoura and that should have him ready for the Dominion.”

Robert and Jenna Dunn have Aardiebythehill in the Flying Stakes Trot instead and John loves what he has felt from the former northern trotter.

“He hasn’t let us down yet,” he said. “I am not saying he will beat Muscle Mountain but I think this is another step up for him and he will go well and keep getting better.”

Last season’s best three-year-old Five Wise Men, trained by Jenna’s father Craig and sister Aimee, has had one start back and Dunn warns of quick improvement from him too.

“He really needed his fresh up run and will improve a lot with that. It has been a tough transition into open class for him but he has the talent for it.”

Muscle Mountain is red hot for the open class Trot in the absence of Sundees Son and Bolt For Brilliance.

It is moving day at Ashburton, when we find out who is on the way up heading to Cup week while other dreams fade or even end.

So here are five things to look out for on Magic Monday.

1: Who flies in the Flying Stakes?

The 2400m feature pace has been the most important New Zealand Cup trial for the last three decades but maybe even more this Monday.

Quite simply, if Rock N Roll Doo beats the Kiwis in his first ever standing start race after missing so much work travelling last week we should just give him the Cup and we can start the party at Addington a race earlier come November 8.

But he isn’t the only question mark horse in this race.

We know what to expect from Self Assured and even B D Joe these days but what isn’t so clear is where South Coast Arden and Spankem are at and how good is Alta Wiseguy really is? Let's find out.

2: Flexing his Muscle?

With no Bolt For Brilliance or Sundees Son, is Muscle Mountain just panels better than the rest of the trotters?

I think so. But does that translate into the sort of respect that gets you the lead off a Majestic Man on Monday and you simply become a winner.

Or has he still got that tiny percentage of doubt in him?

I don’t think so, so we take the $1.40 in your multis because he could be one of the most natural milers we have ever produced in the trotting ranks.

3: Is the Fantasy over?

It feels like True Fantasy has been a three-year-old for about three years but, in reality, she has been three long enough to be both the hero and the villain.

The villain part wasn’t of her own making after she fibrillated last start and she was fresh up when beaten by a very good, now indisposed, filly in Aardies Express.

But what seems like an age after winning the Northern Oaks back in March, True Fantasy is back as the filly to beat in the Nevele R series and the NZ Oaks.

Is she still the best? Maybe with her main rival sidelined but don’t be surprised if the gap has closed.

4: What does Natalie do?

There are two potential versions of the sophomore for three-year-olds on Monday but they come down to one question.

Does Natalie Rasmussen try and lead on Franco Mac?

Not only has he developed high gate speed but also a habit of trailing and if Nat chooses to do that then we presume Republican Party runs to the front and wins.

But, and this is the saucy part, if Rasmussen decides to try leading over the 1700m then Republican Party punters will be left feeling decidedly uncomfortable.

One of them still probably wins but the second scenario perhaps brings a swooper like Sand Wave into the race.

5: Is Highgrove still the boss?

I don’t think anybody doubts Highgrove is the most talented of our three-year-old trotters but last start was a rarity because he was beaten on his merits.

He will improve with that and he loves Ashburton and if he comes out and smashes them then he goes straight back to being everybody’s NZ Trotting Derby favourite.

If he gets beaten on Monday the complexion of this crop changes.

Team Dalgety picked the right race to make a statement.

Trainers Cran and Chrissie took their best horse in Krug to the race named in honour of Cran’s legendary late father Jim and won it thanks to a perfect drive from their son Carter.

And they did it just over two weeks out from the New Zealand Cup, so are now certain to make the iconic race and all of a sudden Krug is a factor again.

“The whole thing couldn’t have worked out better,” said Cran after the stunning effort to overcome a 40m backmark in the main handicap pace at Addington on Friday night.

Krug had gone into the race very much on the back foot, a battling fifth in the Hannon at Oamaru when he was found to have gunk in his throat and then he jumped a shadow last start at Addington and galloped.

While all that was happened the New Zealand Cup was getting stronger and stronger and was starting to look too tough for the horse who won the junior free-for-all on Cup last year.

So Cran decided to skip the Flying Stakes at Ashburton on Monday and face the music off 40m on Friday, which in itself drew criticism.

The Dalgetys had the last laugh and Jim, up there in heaven having a whiskey with old mates Roy Purdon, Derek Jones and Neil Pilcher, would have loved every minute of it, seeing his grandson pulling off a pearler of a drive.

Krug still had to be good and he was, pacing his last 800m in 54.5 seconds, the final 400m in 26.6. So was that good enough for the Cup, especially this Cup?

“I look at it this way. We breed so many horses every year in this country so to get down the 15 out of three or four crops that can go around in a Cup, if you get the chance you should,” says Dalgety.

“If we didn’t go well tonight I was thinking about the Kaikoura Cup but we will miss that now and probably go to the Cup trial.”

With young Carter, one of the more ambitious and mature junior drivers in the country, having aced the drive on Krug, his father admits he must at least be in consideration for the Cup drive.

“But we have time to think about that. I’m just thrilled to win the race named after Dad and see the horse back in great form and Carter nail it. It was a perfect result.”

The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.