Racing: Can't find a decent companion

Darci Brahma is in tomorrow's A$140,000 Phar Lap Stakes at Rosehill simply because Mark Walker is unable to secure a galloping companion for him.

Walker would have preferred to go straight into next week's A$500,000 Rosehill Guineas, but hasn't been able to get the right amount of galloping into the colt.

"It's very difficult to get a galloping companion for him in Sydney.

"I tried hard over the weekend and on Monday, but couldn't come up with one.

"Going three weeks between races and living in a box in warm weather there is a big risk he would come up short, so I've had to use this race to keep him up to the mark."

Darci Brahma comes off his solid second to Apache Cat in the A$750,000 Australian Guineas at Flemington last start.

Apache Cat is also using the Phar Lap as a Rosehill Guineas lead-up and Darci Brahma will face for the first time, Wasp, a highly regarded 3-year-old with John Hawkes.

"It won't be a walk in the park for him," said Walker.

Mark Morrissey from Colin Tidy's Sydney betting office rates the Phar Lap a very strong field.

"Wasp and Racing To Win are two of the biggest rap [talked about] horses in Sydney at the moment."

Racing To Win, trained by John O'Shea, has impressively won four of his six starts.

"Our Melbourne clients will be on Apache Cat, the New Zealand clients will back Darci Brahma and here in Sydney punters will come for Wasp and Racing To Win - it will be a very strong betting race."

Morrissey felt there would be little between the four in terms of odds with Wasp and Racing To Win probably sharing favouritism.

Mark Walker, back in New Zealand, was disappointed to hear from stable manager Andrew Carston that heavy rain fell during yesterday's trackwork session at Randwick.

But out at Rosehill there were only a couple of misty showers and Sydney Turf Club officials were not expecting any significant downgrade in conditions for tomorrow's meeting.

* Latest betting on New Zealand TAB: $2.50 Wasp; $3.20 Racing To Win; $4.60 Darci Brahma; $6.00 Apache Cat; $16.00 Manton.