KEY POINTS:
Otaki trainers Howie and Lorraine Mathews have never lost faith in the class of 4-year-old mare Dorabella and were rewarded with Group One glory at Trentham yesterday.
Dorabella unleashed a blistering home stretch sprint down the outer of the track to gun down Seachange, the princess of New Zealand turf, to win the $200,000 Captain Cook Stakes.
Seachange was expected to dominate the finish of the 1600m event and looked to have the field well covered when pouncing on the leaders 200m from home.
Under pressure, Seachange had no answers to the ruthless finishing burst produced by Dorabella who scored by 3 1/4 lengths. Seachange finished a length clear of Porotene Gem.
"It was a great effort from Dorabella and she's improved since her last-start win at Hawera," said Howie Mathews.
"She was sharp and ready and she won it untouched by the whip which also impressed me. She now drops 3kg from the weight-for-age scale of this race back to a handicap weight in her next start at Riccarton."
Dorabella sat off the hectic early lead sectional times set by front-running Sir Slick and the effortless way she reeled him and Seachange, must send a warning to all rivals heading to Christchurch for New Zealand Cup week.
The daughter of Postponed returned to racing this season in indifferent form but was an impressive last-start winner at Hawera.
MURRAY BAKER has never taken a backward step assessing the brilliance of stable runners.
The Cambridge-based trainer was back in Group winning form at Trentham when he produced the well-balanced colt Rios to score a determined nose victory over Alamosa in the (Group Two) $100,000 Wellington Thoroughbred Breeders Guineas.
Baker has been frank this season in his assessment of Rios, who had had Derby contender smeared all over his massive physique, when waging a stride-for-stride battle with Alamosa over the closing 100m of the Group Two feature.
Rios will now travel to Christchurch for a shot at the $220,000 Christchurch Casino 2000 Guineas at Riccarton on November 17.
Another runner to catch the eye was the third placed Rathsallagh, who made ground strongly in the home stretch to be a further long neck behind the first two place getters at the finish.
"If he pulls up well after this race then I guess there's no reason why we cant travel to Riccarton," said Baker. "He seems to be improving and he's a very smart 3-year-old to train."
The Derby at Ellerslie next March will most probably be the colt's final start from the Baker stable as he is going to Hong Kong.
