KEY POINTS:
Mark Du Plessis is the new rider for Dorabella for the $270,000 Couplands Bakeries Mile at Riccarton.
The mare cannot be re-handicapped on her 53kg because her $200,000 Captain Cook Stakes win on Saturday was run at weight-for-age.
Her successful rider on Saturday, Hayden Tinsley has got his
weight down admirably after spending the winter away from race riding, but has no chance of making the 53kg.
So disappointed was Tinsley in the Trentham birdcage that he couldn't stick with the high-class mare he didn't really want to answer when a journalist asked if he was any chance of wasting down to 53kg.
Everyone accepts that the two favourites Seachange and Sir Slick raced below their best in the Captain Cook, but that does not detract from Dorabella's performance.
She dominated and the power of her last 75m of the race was remarkable. Yet, almost staggeringly, she looked physically as if the race would improve her.
If you hadn't seen Wahid's equally impressive comeback win at Ellerslie exactly one hour earlier, you'd be saying there is no way Dorabella can be beaten at Riccarton.
What price the quinella, and it's still a fair way out from the race.
Trainers Howie and Lorraine Mathews deserve credit for Dorabella.
The mare changed hands into the ownership of Auckland real estate dealer Don Ha a few months ago.
Even though she was purchased essentially for her broodmare value as the Group One winner of last November's 1000 Guineas, things didn't look good for the new partnership when Dorabella finished 12th of 15 in a R90 and 12th of 13 in the same class in her first two starts for the new ownership.
The relief when Dorabella won a stakes race at Hawera two weeks ago was massive, but it reached a different level on Saturday.
"You've just got to believe in your horse and keep doing what you know is right," said an excited Howie Mathews in the Trentham birdcage.
"We've had our problems with the mare, but we've ironed those out and we've stayed with the plan."
Mathews has trained a lot of winners, but admitted he'd never shouted for one of them as much as he did in the final 400m of Saturday's race.
Central Districts bloodstock agent Phil Cataldo brokered the deal to sell Dorabella to Don Ha and remains the racing adviser.
Cataldo said after the victory that the 2000m S$3 million ($2.7 million) Singapore Cup in May is the long-term aim.
"The Zabeel Classic over the Ellerslie carnival is an obvious target, after which she'd probably have a break.
"There is the sprint at Te Rapa in February and the Auto Auctions on her home track then we'll count backwards for races to lead her into the Singapore Cup."
The tragedy of the race was Bonjour bleeding, standing him down for a mandatory three months.
Gavin McKeon said Seachange felt like a tired horse. "She was running on empty from the 600m. She might have looked like she was travelling all right in the home straight, but she had nothing left. I was just hoping they didn't come at me."
Given a few minutes to gather his thoughts, McKeon said: "In a race like this I'm just pleased I finished second, not fourth."
Porotene Gem did well to grind to the line to deny Sir Slick third and Delbrae did well making up a huge slice of ground to be a fast-closing fifth.
As much as Howie and Lorraine Mathews were relieved with Dorabella, no one wiped their brow harder than Taranaki trainer Allan Sharrock after Wahid came back to winning for at Ellerslie.
Sharrock has had a torrid time worrying about getting Wahid right again after tendon trouble struck the horse while running in the Thorndon Mile at Trentham in January.
"The problem was right up behind the back of the knee and difficult to detect," said Sharrock.
There was no sign of it on Saturday as Wahid filled the pockets of Sharrock and owners, the Stanley brothers.
Wahid had been made the TAB's "Lay Of The Day" on Saturday morning, pushing his price from $4.50 to $6.
"Yes, we had a bit of that, it was too good to be true," said Sharrock, no stranger to an investment.
Wahid was simply too good, but there were some smart runs in behind. Rosetti Bay is close to a good win and Pindi did well in what was a real step up in class. Fiscal Madness and Elblitzem are improvers.
Everswindell looked the New Zealand Cup winner at Riccarton after her easy handicap win at Ellerslie.
The big mare was probably still one run away from her best, but she was too good for the opposition, charging down the middle of the track from the rear of the field to score easily.
* Racing is going through a rejuvenation. The stake money, if not through the roof, has climbed the ladder remarkably, we have the best judicial control and racing board management ever and a boatload more promising young horses than we've ever had.
Rios is one of them. His $100,000 Wellington Guineas win on Saturday was only the start of what could end up being a wonderful run of form.
Not that it will be easy because Alamosa, the horse Rios bobbed out of Saturday's big race, will always be a tough rival and there are plenty of others emerging.
However, there is improvement in Rios, which is what made David Walsh's winning ride a gem.
Rios hadn't raced for a month and Walsh knew he was on a horse that could be vulnerable in the final 50m if he had to do it tough in running. Walsh tucked Rios away just behind the speed and when he pulled the colt into the clear he waited seemingly forever before he pressed the button. It's basically impossible to judge such things to the stride, but Walsh looked like he had when he got Rios over the top of a brave Alamosa in the last bound.
"I can't believe we didn't win," said an amazed Peter McKay, trainer of Alamosa, when the judge's call came.
To be fair to McKay and everyone else, Alamosa looked to have the race safely won for all of the last 120m.
Alamosa's rider Gavin McKeon thought he'd won and David Walsh wasn't sure.
Earlier there had been some doubt about Rios going to the $325,000 2000 Guineas at Riccarton on November 17, but that was confirmed by Cambridge trainer Murray Baker after the win.
Rios is such a relaxed individual for a colt he physically tends to do well. He should be sharper at Riccarton.
"The extra distance (100m up to 1600m) will help him in the 2000 Guineas,"said Walsh. "He'll keep improving and he'll run over more ground than the 1600m."
The Alamosa-Rios rematch in Christchurch should be a ripper.
