"I have got to confirm it with the owners, but Swisswatch is highly unlikely to run from that gate in the Lightning Stakes (Listed, 1200m). As a sprinter it is a nightmare draw."
Ritchie is ruing another outside gate for Bella Mente in the Group 2 Wellington Guineas (1400m). The daughter of El Roca finished runner-up in the Mufhasa Fasttrack Stakes (1300m) at Ellerslie after once again drawing the widest barrier.
"I think she could have possibly won last start had she drawn a better barrier," Ritchie said.
"She will have to be ridden cold from that gate over the 1400m and she will be storming home again. She is a chance, but those gates make it a hell of a lot more difficult, all three of them."
While frustrated with Jennifer Eccles' draw in the New Zealand Oaks, Ritchie is hoping her class can prevail.
"That's the headache, that is the gate nobody wanted," he said. "I am going to send a box of Panadol around to Jason Waddell (jockey) because it is his headache, not mine.
"The horse is in superb order, but we would obviously have loved to have got some cover with her and that looks unlikely now.
"How Jason elects to rider her will be as interesting for me as anyone else in the grandstand. I have no intention of telling Jason whether to go forward, or back, or what to do.
"I will leave that up to him and I daresay, knowing Jason well, that he is likely to make that call when she leaves the barrier."
Despite the wide barrier, Ritchie said he has never been happier with the Group 2-winning filly.
"She is in superb order, her gallop on Saturday was probably the best work she has ever given us to indicate that she is likely to run out the mile and a half."
Although Ritchie believes Jennifer Eccles will be stretched to see out the 2400m on Saturday, he said her class will help her a long way.
"The mile and a half is the question mark," Ritchie said. "She is a brilliant filly and we are aware that we are likely to be taking her out of her comfort zone and she will probably never be asked to run a mile and a half again in her career. "There have been a laundry list of top fillies win the Oaks because they are the best horse in the race. We are hoping that is the case again this year."
Jennifer Eccles has won three of her 10 starts, including a last start victory in the Group 2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) at Hastings, and placed on six other occasions.
"She is so competitive," Ritchie said. "I don't think I have had a horse put up a single performance quite as impressive as what she did in the Lowland Stakes."
NZ Oaks (G1)
$400,000, 3YO Fillies, 2400m
1. 21311 Jennifer Eccles (19) Jason Waddell (56.5) $2.10 $1.28
2. 01232 Loire (15) Vinnie Colgan (56.5) $8.50 $2.90
3. 38123 Showbeel (12) Jonathan Riddell (56.5) $10.00 $3.30
4. 31481 Communique (8) Craig Grylls (56.5) $8.50 $2.90
5. 15274 Bergamot (1) Matthew Cameron (56.5) $18.00 $4.80
6. 52115 Seven Seas (18) Rosie Myers (56.5) $19.00 $5.00
7. 72552 Karalino (5) Johnathan Parkes (56.5) $14.00 $4.00
8. 11038 Feel The Rush (6) Kylie Williams (56.5) $34.00 $6.50
9. 62113 Meghan (7) Leith Innes (56.5) $19.00 $5.00
10. 48227 Nothing Compares (11) Kozzi Asano (56.5) (a) $41.00 $7.50
11. 65146 Pineapple Girl (3) Michael Coleman (56.5) $26.00 $5.75
12. 22114 Unlaced (14) Lisa Allpress (56.5) $34.00 $6.50
13. L4X12 Ruby Rocks (2) Ryan Elliot (56.5) $51.00 $9.00
14. 21834 Rukita (4) Robert Hannam (56.5) $41.00 $7.50
15. 75021 Vancooga (16) Holly Andrew (56.5) $26.00 $5.75
16. 31429 White Hibiscus (9) Samantha Collett (56.5) $51.00 $9.00
17. 83821 Zipitsweetie (17) Chris Johnson (56.5) $19.00 $5.00
18. X1763 Desert Mirage (13)Shaun McKay (56.5) $41.00 $7.50
19. 87687 Kaipaki Road (10) $34.00 $6.50
- NZ Racing Desk
