Racing: Getting to know you: Aussie style

Sacred Elixir's trainer Tony Pike. Photo / Richard Robinson

A major newspaper in Melbourne on Tuesday asked UBet's Gerard Daffy what he thought of the chances of Sacred Elixir in Saturday's A$1 million Caulfield Guineas.

His reply: "Well, he's trained by a relative newcomer at this level, but there is no doubt the horse is a star."

WHAT?:

Tony Pike clearly fell between the newspaper lines when he produced a 1-3 close result with Rangipo and Ragu in our Derby at Ellerslie in March.

And didn't he saddle up Provocative to win the Queensland Oaks mid-year a couple of races after Sacred Elixir won Queensland's biggest 2-year-old affair, the group one JJ Atkins.

And wasn't it Sacred Elixir who streeted Melbourne's best 3-year-olds in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude two weeks ago?

Maybe there are two Tony Pikes. The good net result of that statement is that trainers of Pike's talents just love going into a million-dollar Australian race as an underdog, even if not in some eyes.

Sacred Elixir has drawn perfectly at No 7 in the Guineas and this time he has to meet Sydney's best, as well as those he beat last time.

"He's a natural stayer and he's going to get better as he gets close to the Victoria Derby," says Pike.

The Caulfield card is magnificent. Sacred Elixir is joined in the Guineas by fellow Cambridge 3-year-old Saracino, previously known as a sprinter, but who showed he would likely run the 1600m this weekend with his effort in the Guineas Prelude.

La Luna Rossa will go around as one of the favourites in the A$500,000 Caulfield 1000 Guineas and Turn Me Loose has drawn favourably at No 2 in the 1100m Schillachi Stakes.