Racing: Beautiful Girl in frame at Ruakaka

Beautiful Girl (far right, navy and gold) wins the Darley Plate at Ellerslie in March. Photo / Natalie Slade

Among a mixture of very even races, Beautiful Girl might be close to the best chance at Ruakaka today.

You only have to go back to her best efforts last season - several of them were stunning - to put her in the frame today.

Beautiful Girl (No3, R7) is right up there among our current best sprinters - the defeat in the Railway was circumstantial - and that should be enough to get her close to victory in her first start of a new campaign.

This is a terrific race with the likes of Run Like Al and Obsession engaged along with the stayer Sterling Prince.

Late-season juvenile races can throw up some smart emerging types and Happy Man (No1, R2) and Able Charm (No2) are two of them. There was an air of authority about the way Happy Man won on debut at Rotorua and this time he will have a bit more opposition in the form of Able Charm.

On paper there appears very little between this pair, with a slight edge perhaps going to Happy Man, even though he's drawn the wider of the pair. Good contest.

There are many chances in the other juvenile event, Race 3.

State Of Elation (No1) was cut back late by a wonderful finish from Smoulder at Tauranga back in May, excellent form for a race like this. He was subsequently only fifth in the Castletown Stakes at Foxton, but the track conditions that day probably didn't suit as well as the footing he'll strike today. He's worth another chance from an inside barrier.

Local filly El Minear (No2) showed her debut third was no fluke when she turned in a very good second at Te Rapa last start after drawing wide. This time she has the No 1 gate. Flash Hapi (No4) is a trials winner.

The current handicap races at 1600m and beyond are confusing events and Race 4 today fits that description well. You've got Kingsinga (No1) with the form on the board including a close defeat at Ellerslie last time, but he's got 59kg and he's rising eight.

Then you've got Dashing Donna (No2), who finally came back to winning form on this track last week, but who has yet to figure in four attempts at today's 1600m.

To be fair she ran last week's 1400m right out, but a real concern is that she is not big and she jumps from 54.5kg to 57.5kg. So, then you have her stablemate Jungle Juice (No7), who looked more than a little unlucky when fifth last week after being closed out of a gap in the home straight.

The slight negative there is she is jumping from R80 to virtually open grade and goes down only 1kg. Difficult race, but Jungle Juice might be the way to go each way if her odds are around the $7.

Hula Belle (No11, R6) is worth a look. She ended up wide on the home bend before finishing fourth at Tauranga last time in a race where all the action at the start of the day was against the rail. Her previous two seconds had been excellent and she deserves a winning turn. Yangming (No1) looks the obvious danger.

Race 8, like a few on the programme, could well have a $6 or $7 favourite - you can make a case for all but a couple of runners. Quinn Tait (No1) is one of the chances. He finished a close-up fourth under 58kg here last week in his first start in six weeks and this time drops to 57kg. He should be a little bit fitter this time. Govind (No8) is only one of the chances. He flashed home late for a good second last week.

Bonus Bond (No5, R9) is a strong opportunity in the final leg of the quaddie in yet another chance-laden line-up.

He was narrowly beaten in a stronger field here last week and looks to set up nicely for this race.