“Bounding won the Gold Trail at Hastings like this filly did and then went straight into the Soliloquy with only a trial in between, like we are this week.”
Alabama Lass is not only trying to win a valuable Group 2, black-type race today but if she can conserve her energy mid-race over the 1400m and still deliver a brilliant sprint, it will all but confirm her flight to Christchurch for the NZ 1000 Guineas in three weeks.
“That is what we did with Bounding, won this race and went to Riccarton where she had no luck in the Guineas, but she then came back and won the Railway [Group 1 open sprint].
“I am not saying this filly will win a Railway, but I do think she relaxes well enough mid-race to get the 1400m this week and head to Christchurch.”
Kelso said Alabama Lass is fit, eating well and did what was required in her trial so his only concern heading into today is her outside barrier draw.
For all the speed of Kitty Flash and Archaic Smile or recent finishing bursts of Sexy And I Moet and Love Poem, it will be a surprise if they can hold on to Alabama Lass when she does get serious.
But there is enough depth to the field to have many punters thinking twice about taking the $1.45 about the favourite.
Today’s meeting also boasts a high-quality open 1600m in which Habana looks hard to beat with a 3kg claim, albeit key rival Shamus also claims 2kg, putting the topweight pair in good positions.
The earlier juvenile race, while lacking race form, has a classy look about it and should be one of the early pointers to the Karaka Million even though that is still three months away.
Cox Plate confusion
The Cox Plate may be one of Australia’s greatest races, but today’s version is one of the most confusing.
It pits proven local weight-for-age stars Mr Brightside and Pride Of Jenni, both Kiwi-bred, against overseas raiders in Prognosis from Japan and English galloper Docklands, who both have form in world-class races.
Adding in 3-year-olds Broadsiding and the New Zealand-bred Evaporate, and one-time favourite Via Sistina after her midweek trackwork dramas, means this Cox Plate boasts plenty of wonderful gallopers who have cases for and against.
Prognosis has the right form line and jockey in Damian Lane to follow in the hoof prints of recent Asian-based winners Romantic Warrior and Lys Gracieux, and if Pride Of Jenni adopts her usual tearaway tactics it should suit Prognosis as so many major Japanese races are run at a true tempo.
Kiwi set to fly
The first contender for the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi should be announced today.
The Herald understands one of the slot holders will declare their hand this morning with the first horse to go into the first major NZ thoroughbred slot race to be held at Ellerslie on March 8.
The NZB Kiwi already poses an intriguing picture with early favourite Velocious having had a setback but back in work, plenty of promising maiden winners emerging and races at three domestic venues this weekend all having contenders.
Slot holder announcements can be expected to become more frequent around Guineas time in Christchurch before a lull followed by the summer stars being picked up through Christmas and the Karaka Millions meeting.
It will be interesting to see how many Australians make the final field, with several slot holders likely to be shopping in that market.
A vacant slot in the NZB Kiwi will be auctioned at Karaka on November 21, the eve of the Ready To Run sale.
That auction ties into Monday’s Sarten Memorial meeting at Te Rapa as part of the proceeds of the slot auctioned will go to a charity, with exactly which charity to be decided by who wins one of the races at Te Rapa on Monday.
The race used for the charity sweepstake will be decided after final scratchings on Monday.
Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.
