Racing: Drop in distance could see Prince crowned at Avondale

Horses dropping back in distance from 1600m to 1200m fill punters with dread, but in Clifton Prince's case it works in reverse.

Clifton Prince ran 1600m in the Matamata Cup two weeks ago and is dropping back to the 1200m of the Jack Coughlan Memorial at Avondale tomorrow.

"We've done it with him twice before and both times he's performed well," says Matamata trainer Peter McKay.

This time last year Clifton Prince raced over 1600m at Te Rapa on Labour weekend Monday then next start was just beaten in the 1000 Riccarton sprint as a lead-up to the Stewards Stakes.

After sharing the speed, Clifton Prince wilted late in the Matamata Cup to be 3.75 lengths off King Of Ashford, which was a pretty useful performance.

He is better at 1200m and even with 58kg he is a real winning chance as a horse who finished second in the Concorde over this distance on the course last December.

Before Matamata, Clifton Prince, again under 58kg, gave weight to Manten and finished second to him over 1200m at Hastings when resuming from a spell.

"The position he's got himself to in the weights makes it difficult, but he's very well," said McKay, who is hoping for a good track.

With no apprentice claims in the race, Clifton Prince will be ridden by Reese Jones.

He will accompany his stablemate Kay's Awake to Christchurch and the pair will clash in the 1000m sprint on the first day and in the $70,000 Lindauer Stewards Stakes on New Zealand Cup day next month.

"Kay's Awake has done really well since winning at Hastings," said McKay.

Belthazar was only a couple of lengths off Kay's Awake when fourth at Hastings last start and should be further improved with the run.

He is nicely placed with 53.5kg and an inside barrier draw.

With three wins from his last four Buena Ventura looks good on paper, but he has yet to win a race on anything but slow or heavy.

The track was officially 3.0 yesterday and with drizzle forecast for tonight, he may not be completely out of play.

For the first leg of Pick6, Prangelica will once again be looking to put the lie to that shocking performance she turned in when 10th at Paeroa as favourite on September 23.

She came back with a much better performance when flashing home for a close third at Matamata and looks a good chance in a mixed field.

* Wanganui trainer Ken Cropp has his fingers crossed a prediction of showers in the next day or so prove correct.

Cropp has his top sprinter Bulginbaah entered for a $20,000 open class handicap at Wanganui tomorrow and any rain would enhance the horse's chances.

The Wanganui track was yesterday rated dead with a penetrometer reading of 2.7. Cropp said if the track, at the least, remained that way then Bulginbaah should go close to winning.

"He'll go a good race, I'm expecting to be there," he said.

Bulginbaah has yet to win a race from six starts on a track rated good. But he has won four times on dead tracks, three times on slow ground and four wins have been in heavy footing.

Tomorrow's race is run over 1200m, the pet distance of Bulginbaah.