KEY POINTS:
Waikato trainer Jim Gibbs reckons he's due to win a guineas race at Riccarton.
The highly respected Matamata horseman said he had had three runners in guineas races at the Christchurch track but each time he had to play second fiddle.
"So it's my turn," Gibbs quipped yesterday.
It's hard to disagree when looking back on his previous second placings.
In 1999 his filly Ambitious went down by half a head to Ad Alta in the 1000 Guineas.
In the same event of 1986 his star filly Tidal Light was beaten by Cure. Tidal Light's defeat was a rarity that season, winning nine times from 12 starts.
Gibbs' other guineas runner was in the 1985 2000 Guineas in which his representative Field Dancer went down by a nose to Random Chance. Third that day was a horse called Bonecrusher.
Gibbs has two runners - Imananabaa and Velvet And Satin - in today's $275,000 1000 Guineas at the Canterbury Jockey Club's meeting and he has some confidence he can go one better than second.
Imananabaa is his leading chance. The Anabaa bay has won three of seven starts with two of the wins coming at her last two starts.
She won the $50,000 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) for 3-year-old fillies at Ellerslie on September 30 and last time out repeated the dose in the $50,000 Sarten Memorial Stakes (1400m) for 3-year-olds at Te Rapa on October 23.
In the latter event she beat the John Sargent-trained Naturo who yesterday remained a hot favourite at $1.85 on the New Zealand TAB's fixed-odds market to win the Guineas.
Naturo was not suited by a slow track on that occasion but Gibbs warned not to write off Imananabaa as a wet-tracker, although he agreed the likelihood of a dead track today might assist Naturo.
"It might, but it won't make any difference to us. She [Imananabaa] goes on anything," he said.
"She's genuine, she'll run well. Naturo's got a big sprint. It's going to be interesting but don't under estimate my filly."
Gibbs said the 1600m distance of the group one race for 3-year-old fillies was not a concern for Imananabaa who has not raced beyond 1400m.
"She's quite an aggressive filly but there's no problem. Nothing tries harder than her.
"She'll race handy and that's a big plus; out of trouble."
Gibbs' other runner, Velvet And Satin is a half-sister to Caulfield and Melbourne Cups winner Ethereal.
Velvet And Satin, by Carnegie, has had five starts and has finished second at her last four.
One of the second placings was behind Imananabaa in the Soliloquy Stakes and last time out she was running home strongly over 1600m at Te Rapa.
"The big track and the mile is going to suit her [Velvet And Satin], along with the good track conditions," said Gibbs.
Velvet And Satin is raced by Peter and Philip Vela, who own Ethereal, but Gibbs did admit to one concern with the horse.
"She doesn't leave the barrier that good sometimes, so she doesn't want to do that."
Imananabaa was yesterday rated a $7.50 chance by TAB bookmakers while Velvet And Satin was at $17.
Naturo is the one to beat. She won two of three starts as a 2-year-old and was a most unlucky fourth, after suffering interference, in the group one $125,000 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni in April.
The daughter of Postponed has had two starts this season for a win and a second.
She scored first-up in the group three $70,000 Highview Stakes (1200m) for 3-year-old fillies at Hastings on September 23 before going down to Imananabaa in the Sarten Memorial.
A $7 second favourite yesterday was Princess Coup. The Encosta De Lago chestnut has won five of eight starts and has won her last four starts.
Princess Coup is from the Matamata stable of Mark Walker but he sent the horse south to his Rangiora stable this season and her last three wins have been in the south.
She took out a $10,000 race for 3-year-olds over 1200m at Riccarton on September 8 and then scored in the $45,000 Coupland's Stakes (1400m) for 3-year-olds at Ashburton on September 30.
Last time out she came from the back to score by 2 3/4 lengths in the $50,000 Canterbury Stakes (1600m) for 3-year-olds on October 28.
- NZPA
