Racing: Baltaine handicapped but still good enough to score

Co-trainer Evan Rayner thinks Baltaine can win at Te Awamutu tomorrow, but chuckled to himself when he saw the weights declared for the race earlier this week.

Rayner accepts Baltaine always pays the penalty in the handicaps for being one of racing's truly consistent gallopers.

But he feels the 58.5kg is a bit tough in relative terms.

"He got eliminated from the Kelt Capital last year - we'd paid up right through - because they said he had no black type results.

"Yet we pay up for a race like this and the black type horses are under us in the weights."

Rayner referred to Easter Handicap winner Rags To Riches in 58kg and Don't Ya Lovett carrying 57kg.

But the Wanganui trainer is happy to put it behind him and concentrate on winning races.

"He's really here for a tune-up to run in the Opunake Cup in two weeks, but having said that he's fit enough to win."

One of the vital keys to the race is the 2kg apprentice Lee Callaway will take off the 58.5kg.

Baltaine is not big, but he is strong and the 56.5kg is not too much for a horse than can seriously sustain a finish.

If you doubt that, wind back to the video of his winning run at Te Rapa on April 29, when he held out some tough opposition for most of the tough run up the home straight.

Subsequently he was beaten at Manawatu, but he was stepping up to 1600m, a distance he has not been successful at, and he was not able to claim an allowance that day and had to lump 57.5kg in extremely testing conditions.

This time he is back to a much more suitable 1150m and an apprentice claim.

You can imagine Baltaine, around the turning Te Awamutu track, being difficult to pull back.

The conditions will be heavy and testing, but Baltaine is well capable when there is rain around.

The importance of Baltaine's allowance is that Daniel Hain will remove 2kg from Lord Spectrum's 53kg.

The locally-trained Lord Spectrum has a good record fresh, has won twice and been placed three times at home and has shown he can handle just about all track conditions.

With just 51kg on his back, that makes him difficult to contain.

Floydeboy is dropping back in distance, but he rates highly.

He was beaten only a long neck by Zvezda at Te Rapa last start when the other horse claimed with Ryal Allwood in the saddle and Floydeboy had to carry his full weight with Grant Cooksley.

The Cambridge sprinter can find the line strongly and he looks likely to be flying at the leaders in the final 120m.

Don't Ya Lovett and Rags To Riches add some extra class to the line-up.