Racing: Big names face final hitout

Kawi will today make his first public appearance since winning the Captain Cook at Trentham. Photo / Race Images

The puzzle that is New Zealand's race of the season could become a little less confused in the space of 15 minutes this morning.

Because two of the biggest names with the most unusual preparations for next week's $250,000 Telegraph at Trentham trial at Cambridge in their final public hitouts before the super sprint.

Forgotten sprint hero Sacred Star has been forced back to the trials after he was scratched from last week's Railway at Ellerslie when the track went from good to soft in the space of an hour.

The Railway was to have been his first start in 17 months but trainer Tony Pike was left with little option but to pull the former Telegraph winner out of the Railway because of his hatred for wet tracks.

That means Sacred Star will contest a 935m open catchweight trial scheduled for 10.54am today, against speed machine and Telegraph rival Ferrando, who should at least ensure the now 8-year-old has a serious rival to chase and give Pike some line on where he stands 11 days out from his delayed comeback.

In the very next trial this morning Kawi will make his first public appearance since winning the Captain Cook over 1600m at Trentham exactly a month ago, with a slight setback since costing him what looked a relatively easy kill in the Manawatu Challenge Stakes on December 23.

That convinced trainer Allan Sharrock to freshen Kawi and aim him at the Telegraph, in which the addition of blinkers are being considered to sharpen him up for the 1200m, a distance he has raced over only once in the past 29 months.

Even with that in mind Kawi is still the $5 equal favourite for the Telegraph alongside last-start Railway heroine Volpe Veloce, who in complete contrast has never been beaten over 1200m. Sacred Star is rated a $14 hope.

That trio alone would make for a great Telegraph but the race is the deepest in New Zealand so far this season, with the entries also featuring Start Wondering, Packing Eagle, Heroic Valour, Chambord, last year's shock winner Signify, Ferrando, Miss Wilson, Volks Lightning, Sunday's Manawatu winning speedster Gift Of Power and the star southern mares Starvoia and Carnival.

Sacred Star and Kawi aren't the only big names with group one Trentham aspirations getting early use of the Cambridge track today, as Thorndon Mile favourite Love Affair will trial directly before them in the second heat of the day, an open catchweight 1200m.

She is another to miss a crucial group race target on New Year's Day when she was late scratched from the Rich Hill Mile because of the track, but she now heads the TAB market for the Thorndon at $3.50.

She has tightened into that quote as doubts are raised over whether Hiflyer, who she shared favouritism with, will contest the Thorndon on Saturday week.

Hiflyer's trainer, Peter Lock, is toying with the idea of missing Trentham and freshening the exceptional talent right up for the $200,000 BCD Group Sprint over 1400m at Te Rapa on February 10.

"I am 50-50 on the Thorndon at the moment but if we go for the 1400m at Te Rapa then it means six weeks without a race," explains Lock.

"So I will be closer to making a decision on the Thorndon after he gallops tomorrow [today]."

ON TRIAL

• Galloping big boys Kawi and Sacred Star continue their preparations for next week's Telegraph Sprint with trials at Cambridge today.

• The pair have had interrupted campaigns on their way to what shapes as the race of the season so far.

• Thorndon Mile favourite Love Affair will also trial this morning.

• Her key Thorndon rival Hiflyer is still not certain to start, with trainer Peter Lock saying he will decide today.