Sunline did nothing at Takanini yesterday to convince the McKee stable they had made a wrong decision to run the champion mare at Te Rapa on Saturday.
"Terrific," was Stephen McKee description of Sunline's 1000m solo gallop in preparation for the $100,000 Waikato Draught Sprint.
"She ran 59.5 for the 1000m, being comfortably within herself the whole way."
If the time was not impressive enough, the stable expect it to work sharp imrprovement in the mare for Saturday's race.
If pushed, Sunline could test the Te Rapa 1400m track record.
The McKees are hoping she doesn't - they would like showers to take the sharp edge off what can be a very firm Te Rapa track at this time of year.
"That's why her legs have lasted so well because she hasn't had too many starts on rock hard tracks," said Stephen McKee.
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Cambridge apprentice Lynsey Hofmann will be sidelined for five to six weeks after breaking her wrist in a trackwork fall late last week.
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Dave O'Sullivan says if he comes back in another life he hopes it's either as a blue heeler dog or as Bawalaksana.
"They've got the best lives," he said after Bawalaksana came back to form in the Schofields of Newmarket Open at Ellerslie yesterday.
The big-winning, near-veteran dropped back in class after the group one Telegraph at Trentham last start.
"Did you see him all the way down the straight then, he had his ears pricked all the way," said O'Sullivan.
"And when we took the blinkers off him for Trentham last start he thought: 'This is good, I'll have a bludge on the rider all the way'.
"Life's pretty easy for him."
The blinkers back on yesterday made the difference, but O'Sullivan says the old bloke still has a gorgeous life.
Trainer Paul O'Sullivan said the stable will not attempt anything too ambitious with Bawalaksana despite the return to winning form.
"We've got to place him where he can win now.
"He's probably not good enough now to beat them at weight-for-age."
Bawalaksana's Indonesian-based owner also commissioned Dave O'Sullivan to buy him a horse he thought could win, or at least run in, the Melbourne Cup.
"You've probably got to buy a Zabeel, so we sorted one out, but I told the owner we'd probably have to go to something like $350,000 and he said: "You buy."
The Zabeel-Lambert Miss colt was knocked down to O'Sullivan for $180,000.
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Handicappers are always right.
The McKee stable was originally disappointed Tantamount was re-handicapped 2kg to 57.5kg for yesterday's $30,000 Ernst and Young Auckland Charities Handicap after winning at Te Rapa on Saturday.
The handicapper Dean Nowell was proved right when Tantamount showed too much grit for the opposition to win handsomely, if not with too much to spare.
"That was a good effort to back up so quickly, not many horses these days can do that," said Stephen McKee.
"She drew an outside barrier as well."
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Trainer Donna Logan didn't know what to make of a message from her stable staff from Lance O'Sullivan after Bula Bula last raced.
"I took my children to the beach up north instead of going to the races that day and when I got back the staff said Lance called and said Bula Bula was the best he'd ridden for me for a long while.
"I said well, that's odd he's just run last on it."
O'Sullivan later told Logan he had had no racing luck on Bula Bula.
Yesterday he said he hadn't really thought Logan would drop the horse in as deep as yesterday's $20,000 3-year-old field, but the pair landed the money anyway.
"That was a good effort, he's such a real professional, like his rider," said Logan. "He took a while to wind up today, suggesting he might like to try 1600m."
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Michael Walker is unconcerned his Victorian riding debut will be at lowly Sale today.
Walker made a huge splash when on his Australian debut ride he won the Hawkesbury Cup.
"It's all good experience," he said yesterday.
Walker will return after today's meeting and will be aboard Country Rose in Saturday's Whakanui Stud International Stakes at Te Rapa.
Racing: Champion strides out well in preparation for Te Rapa
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