Racing: Daly team worth backing at Waikouaiti

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The key phrase for Michael Daly's team at Waikouaiti today is "more ground".

The Timaru trainer has decided to put Desert Girl and Katie Jay over the 1975m in their respective events, joining his old campaigner Aronsay over the middle distance journey.

Desert Girl (R2) has seen the longer trips before, but Daly has chosen to step the D'Cash mare up from her last assignment at Timaru on Saturday, when she finished 11th over 1600m.

"She's a bit of a one-pacer and unfortunately she has a bad habit of being slow out of the gates, which doesn't help," Daly said on Monday.

"She hadn't raced for a couple of months and she went about how I thought she would [at Timaru].

"If she jumps a wee bit better and puts herself into the race a little bit more at Waikouaiti... she would have a bit of a show."

Desert Girl is yet to taste victory, but Katie Jay (R5) has been even more frustrating for Daly since she joining his stable late last year. "She's a wee bit of a dilemma horse, really."

Sluggish starts have hindered the Danske mare's chances of running in the money, although she has been doing her best work closer to the finish of her two starts over 1400m at Wingatui and Ashburton this month.

"She's always looked like she'd go over a wee bit of ground - if the sting could stay out of the track, that would help her, too."

The track was rated at dead (6) yesterday, which could also suit Aronsay in the Waikouaiti Cup (R6).

The evergreen 9-year-old has won four races on a dead track, but Daly concedes it will be a big ask for the veteran to win, even after a bold resuming run for third in rating 85 company at Timaru on Saturday.

"He found the line good, which I was pleased about."

Aronsay (rating 89) is the highest-rated horse in the rating 85 cup and is carded to carry 61kg, although Rebecca Black's 2kg claim will help.