Racing: Inside draw may hinder Beautiful Girl

Beautiful Girl, unlucky at her last start, could fare better tomorrow. Photo / Christine Cornege

Cambridge trainer Yves Seguin spent only two minutes agonising over the No 11 barrier draw for Beautiful Girl in tomorrow's $85,000 NZ Bloodstock Concorde at Ellerslie.

Then he moved on and was quickly concentrating on the races ahead.

"Let's hope she draws better in the Railway and the Telegraph," he said.

The Frenchman is perhaps resigned to the possibility that he might be unlucky again in what will be only the second time he has produced Beautiful Girl to the races.

The first time was at Te Rapa on November 6 when the under-rated sprinting mare was a good thing beaten, being disappointed for a run inside the last 150m when flying at the leaders from the back of the field.

Beautiful Girl is going to need luck from her draw in what will be a sharp race, but if she gets it she is the horse to beat.

Trainer Peter McKay is looking for better luck than he had when Vincent Mangano finished fourth as beaten favourite in the Stewards at Riccarton last start.

McKay instructed Sam Spratt to drop Vincent Mangano back early from where normally he produces a huge finishing effort.

"But he flew the gates and just as Sam eased him, the speed increased in the race. All went forward and he got well back off them. Things went all wrong from there.

"He's not the easiest horse to ride because sometimes he flies the gates and other times he doesn't then he'll only produce that big sprint if he sees plenty of wide, open spaces.

"He would have suited my riding because I was always too scared to go through them."

If Vincent Mangano can produce the late sprint he came up with to win the first day at Riccarton when he picked up eventual Otaki winner Celeris late, he will be very hard to keep out.