Racing: He's damp good

The connections of most of the babies in tomorrow's $200,000 group one Ford Diamond Stakes will be worried about the weather.

Cambridge trainer Murray Baker isn't.

He's reasonably sure that The Heckler will manage a rain-affected track on the final day of the Ellerslie carnival.

Track conditions aside, The Heckler deserves favouritism for the first of only two group one juvenile races run in New Zealand each year.

He bolted home a clear winner on debut at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, missed when ridden back at his second start and made an elite bunch look ordinary in the $1 million Karaka Million at his only other start.

The determined finish The Heckler produced in that last effort left little doubt he has few peers.

As far back as August last year, the Baker stable became aware The Heckler might handle wet ground. .

"He won a 650m barrier trial on a slow track at Te Awamutu and I've written in my book that he looked comfortable on it," said Murray Baker yesterday.

Australian jockey Michael Rodd rode The Heckler in the Million and the engagement this time switches back to Michael Coleman who was in the saddle for his first two runs.

For the first half of each 2-year-old season it's difficult to get a comprehensive guide to whether the babies can manage a wet track or not.

But a good pointer was Matamata's rain-affected track two weeks ago.

Two of the main chances tomorrow, Kaaptan and Obsession, were both unable to produce their best on that day.

Kaaptan went an even race for third behind King's Ransom. On the home turn he was literally bolting and ready to run through the bridle, but when Craig Grylls loosened the grip and asked him to sprint, he floundered.

Obsession finished a brave fourth in the Matamata Breeders Stakes after copping a check early and having to run on from the back.

It was a big effort for a filly having only her second race start.

If she manages to get a better grip tomorrow, watch her finish off like she did when winning on debut at Pukekohe.

Kaaptan is pretty much in the same position. It's remarkable that a horse who has handed in a couple of stunning performances is still a maiden and if he decides this is a more suitable surface to Matamata, the others might have a problem.

Talent emerges very quickly at this stage of the season and this field has a look about it that suggests there are at least a handful of runners that will, perhaps reasonably quickly, dramatically improve their rating.

Te Akau Rose achieved that when she won the Matamata Breeders Stakes last start.

Trainer Mark Walker was confident the filly would manage the wet conditions that day and so it proved.

Picking out two or three others is dangerous because there is not one runner that has not done enough to suggest it is at least some chance.

The Lady was talented and brave in the first part of the season despite a lack of size. She hasn't raced since January 1 and could be a lot stronger now.

$200,000 STAKES
* The Heckler, winner of two of his three starts, is almost certain to cope with a rain-affected track.
* He was devastating winning the Karaka Million at Ellerslie last start.
* Co-trainer Murray Baker says a barrier trial win in August showed The Heckler could handle the wet.