Tinseltown riding high

If you ask trainer Andrew Clarken to come up with a reason why Tinseltown can't win tomorrow's $100,000 DHL Counties Cup he can't.
"No, there is no reason why he shouldn't."
Clarken is delighted with the way Tinseltown has come up in his first preparation in the trainer's first season with Ballymore Stables.
If he had one item on the wish-list earlier in the week, it was for a bit of rain for the weekend.
That became a reality midweek when drizzle was forecast for today, turning to rain tomorrow.
"That would be ideal because he goes best when there is a bit of rain around.
"He doesn't necessarily need it heavy, or perhaps even like it heavy, but he's probably at his best when it's dead or slow."
This will be the first race that suits Tinseltown this preparation.
"I thought his first two runs were very good," Clarken said.
"He finished second over 1400m then in a race where they raced (best) forward, he finished fifth from the back.
"The 2100m this time suits him and he's got a good gate."
Training partner Mike Moroney was over from Melbourne for the Ready to Run sale at Karaka this week and inspected the stable horses on Wednesday.
"Mike was really pleased with this horse," Clarken said.
Tinseltown's last win was in the Te Aroha Cup in April, followed by a close second to Indikator in the Rotorua Cup, a race he won the previous year when it was run at Te Aroha.
During a Queensland winter campaign, he finished second in the Caloundra Cup.
On 53.5kg, Minqar Qaim poses a real threat. He finished seventh, five lengths from Altered Image in the $250,000 Coupland's Bakeries Mile at Riccarton last start, coming from the tail of the field and having little room to work in over the final stages. He finished second, only half a length from The Meista in the Mile Trial, a couple of weeks earlier.
Minqar Qaim is much more a middle-distance horse and this race sets up nicely for him.
"If I had a choice to change one thing, I would have liked to have had one more week between races," said trainer Jason Bridgman.
"It's only a 10-day turnaround with a trip north (from Christchurch) thrown in.
"Having said that, he worked tremendously well on Tuesday and his best form is probably on right-handed tracks."
This field, overall, might be down a fraction on class from recent years, but that does not mean it lacks chances.
Veloce Bella, Six O'Clock News, So Royal and Amirar are all solid hopes.
There is a sense around So Royal that she is building to a nice win and Six O'Clock News might have broken the hearts of most of his followers, but he has definitely come back this preparation better than for any previous campaigns and this race will be his test.
Veloce Bella ran home strongly over the 1600m of the weight-for-age at Ellerslie on Melbourne Cup day and will appreciate the step up to a middle distance.
Amirar has been running solid races and, as one who has yet to win on a firm surface, she will appreciate the forecast rain.