By Barry Street
Don't write off Aerosmith or Darazari because of their dismal first-up performances at the 1999 Melbourne spring carnival.
Awapuni-trained Aerosmith finished second last in the $A175,000 Memsie Stakes, a weight-for-age 1400m his class suggested he could win at Caulfield last Saturday.
Takanini-trained Darazari fared even worse - a lonely last - but only because the track was awash.
Darazari's trainer, Bruce Wallace, squared off for both horses yesterday by saying that on a firm track they could have finished first and second.
But, the way the track turned out after a deluge last Friday, they could only go round to benefit their condition for longer races later on, he said.
"The footing was so wet [rider]Darren Gauci said that after only 100m he felt Darazari was drowning.
"The horse had never raced on a track worse than soft or dead.
"It was a miserable, disappointing day, made worse because Darazari had no escape route. He needed the race to fit in, spacewise, with the rest of his programme this spring before he starts a stud career."
The Feehan Stakes, a $213,000 group two weight-for-age run over 1600m, at Moonee Valley on Saturday week or the $A251,000 Underwood Stakes, a group one weight-for-age 1800m, at Sandown the following Saturday would be Darazari's next target, Wallace said.
Beyond that the good-looking European import could be aimed at the Caulfield Cup and/or the Hong Kong Cup.
Trainers Nikki and Peter Hurdle also have the Feehan in mind for Aerosmith and, beyond that, the $A400,000 Yalumba Stakes, a group one weight-for-age 2000m, at Caulfield on October 9.
"Peter had no choice but to run Aerosmith last Saturday," Nikki Hurdle reported yesterday.
"The horse was supposed to have had his first race this time up at Sandown the previous Saturday but was scratched because the track was soft.
"There were no predictions early last week that Caulfield would be worse than Sandown."
Aerosmith was this year bigger and heavier than when he earned about $A400,000 at the 1998 Melbourne spring carnival, Nikki Hurdle said.
"Therefore it's likely that he'll be the better for his first two or three races this time.
"Peter said that one good thing to come out of last Saturday's disaster was that Aerosmith ate up everything after the race - the first time he'd done so on the trip.
"We're kind of lucky having a horse like him who can race equally as well at weight-for-age or in handicap races.
"Long range, we're keeping our options open. After the Yalumba he could go for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups or stick to weight-for-age in the Cox Plate."
Horse Racing: No panic from Kiwis
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