Racing: Comeback not an easy trail

Don't let her picket-fence formline fool you into backing Alta Serena at Cambridge tonight.

That is the advice from co-trainer Brian Hughes as his stable star prepares for the first start of the most important campaign of her life.

The five-year-old mare is unbeaten in her last five starts. The only problem is, the last of them was last July.

Since then she has been troubled by a leg injury which has restricted her public appearances to a workout win at Pukekohe last Saturday.

In that workout she paced a 27.4 second last 400m to beat one of pacing's all-time greats, Holmes D G.

But like Alta Serena, Holmes D G is just starting his comeback so his scalp is not as prized as it would have been a few years ago.

"No disrespect to Holmes D G but he is a 10-year-old now so I wouldn't get too carried away with her win at the workouts last weekend," said Hughes.

"We thought about giving her another workout this weekend but that would have meant we were not a lot closer to knowing where she stands fitness-wise heading into her main aim, which is the group one mares' race at Addington early next month.

"So we decided to start her this week even though I know she is not at her peak.

"In fact, I would say she is only between 85 and 90 per cent."

That means Alta Serena faces a huge task from her 30m handicap even allowing for her only having eight rivals.

"The standing start suits perfectly because she won't need to be hurried early.

"If she gets the right drag into the race and Brent [Mangos, driver] can have one crack at them then maybe she is a show.

"But I would be surprised if she won."

While her lack of race fitness is against Alta Serena she does have plenty of statistics on her side.

Not only is she the winner of 16 races, including the Nevele R Fillies Final in 2003, but she has won all five of her standing starts and five of her seven starts in staying races.

And while Hughes is not tipping her tonight he says her dodgy legs only have to stand up to the strain of open class racing for her to make an impact this campaign.

"We are aiming her at Addington but she will also be nominated for the Interdominions here in March.

"I have never had any doubts she is good enough to mix it with the open class horses, providing her legs stand up to it all."

While tonight's $12,500 Johnstone Memorial is a starting point for Alta Serena it could be seen as a crossroads in the career of Sly Flyin.

The outstanding pacer had his share of problems at the start of this campaign but looked to be on the way back with a good first-up sixth in the Franklin Cup in late November.

But since then he has failed in both the Summer Cup and Auckland Cup and needs to improve dramatically in the next six weeks to be considered a realistic chance in the Interdominions.

Tonight's race is hardly ideal as he faces a 50m backmark, a handicap rarely overcome at Cambridge and will not have the services of trainer Tony Herlihy, who will instead drive frontmarker Hummer.

The horse they all have to beat though is V For.

The four-year-old can be very hard to follow, with a history of tying-up problems meaning he can cost punters dearly when even a fraction below his best.

He indicated those problems were behind him for a while at least when he bolted in over 2200m mobile here last week.

He has yet to win from a standing start and is at his best over shorter distances but comes in well as the winner of nine races.

If he can settle handy he will have too much high speed for a field that contains more stayers than speedsters.

On the comeback

* Alta Serena has an impeccable formline leading into tonight's feature race at Cambridge.
* The only problem is she hasn't raced since last winter.
* Her co-trainer Brian Hughes believes the mare will need tonight's race before returning to her best.
* Impressive last-start winner V For looks the horse to beat.