Champion jockey James McDonald is coming home for Christmas and will ride at the carnival and was booked for Supera but will instead now ride the Baker/Forsman-trained True Enough.
While she was anything but a good thing, Supera's withdrawal along with second favourite Wyndspelle bypassing the race to be set for the Thorndon at Trentham next month opens the Zabeel market right up.
TAB bookmakers, who did a stunning job to have the markets for the entire Ellerslie card open yesterday, now have Beauden the $4.80 favourite over The Mitigator and True Enough at $6.50.
Pinmedown at $7.50 is next, with Mick Dee also returning to New Zealand to ride her and at the remainder of the Ellerslie carnival. Dee will also partner three-year-old filly Kali in the Sistema Railway on New Year's Day.
The final field for the Railway could be determined by the result of the Hallmark Newmarket Handicap, the feature sprint on Thursday.
The winner of the Hallmark gets automatic entry into the country's most glamorous sprint six days later if they are already nominated.
That is particularly crucial for in-form sprinters like Spring Heat and Mr Universe, who currently sit outside the top 14 in the Railway rankings.
Almost all of those above them look likely to start, with only Avantage, who resumes in the Hallmark, doubtful for the Railway. She is expected to head to the Telegraph at Trentham instead.
Avantage faces the dreaded barrier 13 on Thursday and while she is the $4.40 favourite she might need some Opie Bosson magic to overcome that draw over 1200m.
Still, Bosson did just that from the same start point with Avantage's stablemate Probabeel in the Karaka Million in January so he looks the right man for the job.
Several of the country's better 3-year-olds also resume for the summer on Thursday.
Guineas placegetters Harlech and Travelling Light clash as $2.80 equal favourites in the $60,000 Uncle Remus Stakes.
Both will have new riders with Dee engaged to partner Harlech for the first time while Jason Waddell takes over from a suspended Sam Collett on Travelling Light, who takes on the boys in the Uncle Remus over 1400m in preference to being thrown in fresh up at 1600m against her own sex in the Sky City Eight Carat.
Boxing Day
•The $200,000 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic headlines the huge Boxing Day meeting at Ellerslie.
•Futures favourite Supera was withdrawn at acceptance time after injuring herself when being taken off a horse float on Saturday morning.
•James McDonald, who was booked to ride Supera, will now partner True Enough.
•The $60,000 Hallmark Newmarket will determine the final shape of the field for the Railway six days later.
Zabeel Classic
$200,000, WFA, 2000m, 5.16pm
•1 53349 Charles Road (3) 59 T Harris
•2 x1313 True Enough (4) 59 J McDonald
•3 x3221 The Mitigator (11) 59 S McKay
•4 x3355 Mongolian Marshal (13) 59 O Bosson
•5 41235 Peso (7) 59 R Myers
•6 x8135 Tiptronic (12) 59 C Lammas
•7 32121 Beauden (10) 59 R Elliot
•8 40971 Orakei Overlord (6) 59 A Collett
•9 x2166 Vernanme (2) 58.5 D Johnson
•10 63017 Fiscal Fantasy (1) 57 L Innes
•11 67320 Contessa Vanessa (8) 57 R Hutchings
•12 23720 Strolling Vagabond (9) 57 M Coleman
•13 x6543 Pinmedown (14) 56.5 M Dee
•14 8x555 Queen Of Diamonds (5) 56.5 C Grylls
