Play nzherald.co.nz's rugby Pick the Score competition - go to: pickthescore.nzherald.co.nz
KEY POINTS:
Cambridge co-trainer Roger James may yet give Easy Ryder a sneak peak at Ellerslie before the Telecom New Zealand Derby on Saturday week.
A minor hock injury forced James to scratch his impressive Waikato Guineas winner from the Telecom Championship Stakes on Saturday.
That was to be Easy Ryder's first look at the track and his first raceday assignment right-handed.
But yesterday James was considering a trip north next Tuesday with Easy Ryder for an appearance at the carnival's Breakfast with the Stars event.
"But it wouldn't worry me if I didn't go there either; I've won Derbies with horses who haven't seen Ellerslie before," said James.
The four-time Derby winning trainer also isn't fussed about the missed raceday with Easy Ryder on Saturday.
He said both he and stablemate Jungle Boots, the TAB's $5.50 fixed odds favourite, take very little work to keep them up to the mark.
Jungle Boots, lucky to escape serious injury when he bolted at Ellerslie, was an impressive winner against older rivals at Te Rapa on February 7.
Meanwhile, rival co-trainer Dean Logan reports that equal second-favourite Le Baron has bounced through his final Derby tune-up in the group two Telecom Championship Stakes in pleasing style.
On a rain-affected track that didn't suit, Le Baron made up ground stylishly for sixth.
"With the track the way it was, most of the runners probably had a harder run than they expected," said Logan. "But we're happy with him. He lost a kilogram on his raceday weight but he's probably picked that up already."
Tell A Tale got the all-clear to resume normal fast-work yesterday. He was due to gallop this morning, his first since tweaking a shoulder muscle when a close second in the Whakanui Stud Stakes on February 7.
Trainer Mark Walker said he'll also have a 1600m hitout between races with Red Ruler at Matamata on Saturday.
