Racing: Consolation only for class mare

The $15,000 Rating 92 sprint at New Plymouth tomorrow looks a pretty ordinary consolation for the $200,000 Railway at Ellerslie on January 1.

But that's the reality for class mare Julinsky Princess.

Trainer Brent Hrstitch attempted to sneak Julinsky Princess into the Railway field by using the sprint at Ellerslie last Sunday week, but everything went wrong.

Hrstitch admits he made a mistake in telling Michael Walker not to kick Julinsky Princess out of the barriers.

The mare settled back and when Baldessarini clocked a freakish 1.8.53 1200m time, it was game over.

Facing an impossible mission to make ground from the back of the field on such a hot tempo, Julinsky Princess did well to finish sixth.

"Michael came in and said he was delighted with the effort and advised me to go ahead with the Railway plans, but she's got a rating of only 89, which meant she had to run in the lead-up Newmarket Handicap six days before the Railway and finish first or second to make the Railway field.

"She's a mare with a 2400m pedigree and she will get up over ground later on and I couldn't run in the Newmarket and still have her fresh enough to do herself justice in the Railway.

"It's a shame because she's flying at the moment and the Railway is the race I wanted for her.

"To beat Baldessarini that day she would have had to run her last 800m in 44 seconds and run through traffic to do it - that's impossible."

Hrstitch will instead aim Julinsky Princess at the 1600m Thorndon Mile on her home track at Trentham late next month.

Tomorrow's race looks perfect for the mare, provided the New Plymouth track comes back from soft to dead.

"She's actually quite adaptable in terms of track conditions - she won on firm, dead and soft ground as a 2-year-old, but her preference is definitely good ground. If it's a good mid-range soft I'll run her, otherwise she'll be coming out."

Local trainer Allan Sharrock believes the New Plymouth track will get back to a dead rating.

Sharrock has Bellaroof as a double acceptor and was unsure yesterday whether to run her in the 1200m or against Julinsky Princess at 1400m.

"If I run her in the 1400m I'll claim 1kg off her 58kg."

Bellaroof is in foal to Pentire and was an impressive first-up second to Phaedra at Awapuni on December 10.

JULINSKY PRINCESS

* Trainer Brent Hrstitch says take no notice of the fact Julinsky Princess could finish only sixth at Ellerslie last start.

* He admits he made a tactical error suggesting to rider Michael Walker to ease the mare back in the first 100m.

* As a result he will now not be able to target the $200,000 Railway Handicap.

* Trentham's Thorndon Mile is the aim and he rates the mare a very strong chance at New Plymouth tomorrow.