KEY POINTS:
Mark Brosnan will be closely watching what Magic Cape and the other male 3-year-olds do in Saturday's $100,000 Championship Stakes at Ellerslie.
But not as closely as the trainers of those horses will be studying the winning video of the Brosnan-trained Veloce Bella in the $100,000 Cambridge Stud
Sir Tristram Fillies Classic at Te Rapa on Saturday.
The underrated trainer of the stunning filly has thrown a scare into the trainers of leading Derby contenders by announcing that he may aim Veloca Bella at the $700,000 Classic at Ellerslie rather than the $300,000 New Zealand Oaks at Trentham.
The stake differential and Brosnan's theory that the colts and geldings may be no stronger than the fillies this season make the Mercedes Derby appealing.
"I'll wait and see what the colts do next Saturday," said Brosnan after Veloce Bella and Jim Collett got back, covered more ground than any runner and dashed clear in the final stages.
The only firm decision Brosnan has already made is that Veloce Bella will not run in both races, though there is two weeks between them.
Collett says it's a long time since he's ridden a stayer with the final sprint that Veloce Bella possess.
He also says he wouldn't be riding but for the dashing winner of Saturday's extremely strong fillies' race.
"I never ring for a ride, but I never want to be off this filly," said the mid-40s-something Collett.
If there is something more remarkable than the sprint Veloce Bella can turn on, it's the fact that she physically weathers her racing better than any filly you can think of.
Despite a busy schedule to win the Avondale Guineas and Eight Carat Classic then come out of a luckless run in the Royal Stakes at Ellerslie and trip to Trentham to finish second to Princess Coup in the Desert Gold Stakes, Veloce Bella was considered "fat" early last week.
She blew significantly after Brosnan galloped her himself at Matamata on Tuesday. The slight concern was that horses off the back of tough racing can hit a wall and sometimes blow as heavily as unfit horses.
"I swear she was too big in condition when she finished second at Trentham," says Collett.
Veloce Bella looked magnificent in condition after what was a tough effort and Brosnan believes there is even a touch more improvement.
Magic Cape's trainer Shaune Ritchie watched a replay of the win at Te Rapa and said: "Wow, what a sprint that filly's got."
When you get a field containing the depth of talent we saw on Saturday luck has to play a major part in deciding the result.
Runner-up Princess Coup certainly didn't find the luck that swept her to Trentham victory.
Opie Bosson never makes excuses, but he was sure the three lengths Princess Coup dropped when checked near the 800m might have made a difference. Princess Coup picked herself up and sustained a long run after Bosson was forced to go around the field from the 600m and in doing so gave the winner the perfect drag into the race.
It was a brave performance by Princess Coup.
Her stablemate Santagostino fought well to be a nose away third and sixth-placed Post Thyme once again made it tough for herself being among the stragglers before storming home late. She will win a decent race as soon as she gets the right run.
