Racing: Class acts looking for luck

Weight-for-age racing is all about luck and Kind Return and Tusker will be looking for theirs at group one level at Te Rapa tomorrow.

Distinctly Secret probably comes under the same heading in the $100,000 Whakanui Stud International.

Kind Return failed by a neck to pick up Bazelle in the group one Zabeel Classic on Boxing Day at Ellerslie and was then swamped quickly by Zarius in the closing strides of the 2400m City Of Auckland Cup on January 1.

Kind Return is a tough fighter and might have been more difficult to get past if Zarius had not been so wide on the track and had drawn alongside and offered the chance of a fight-back.

Tusker similarly needs a change of fortune to tackle the obvious favourite Bazelle.

"She deserves a change of fortune," said trainer Murray Baker.

Tusker does not help herself by being tardy away from the start. It narrows her options and made things difficult in her last two starts.

She had to go wide from the back of the field to attack in the Zabeel Classic and did well to finish within 1 lengths of Bazelle then she could not work into the clear in time when 3 lengths from Macavelli Miss in the group one Thorndon Mile at Trentham last start.

The No 4 barrier draw looks perfect if she is able to take even a small advantage from it.

Paul Jenkins did a wonderful job of having Bazelle ready to win the Zabeel Classic in her first start since the Melbourne Cup and coming in here fresh again after seven weeks should not be a problem.

Distinctly Secret does not win out of turn, but that does not reflect his chances here.

Lisa Cropp was questioned over her ride on the old bloke in the 2400m Trentham Stakes in which Cropp allowed him to drop four lengths behind the second-last horse until approaching the home turn.

That he was able to finish fourth, only a neck away from the winner Envoy, suggests he would have won clearly with a different passage.

"I've freshened him for this 2000m," said trainer Mark Walker. "I still believe there is one race left in the old fella - whether it's this one I don't know, but he's not finished yet."