KEY POINTS:
If Stephen McKee doesn't win tomorrow's $120,000 NRM/Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at Pukekohe, it won't be for lack of trying.
McKee has four runners - in field order Culminate, Ististar, Keepa Cruisin and Striker.
Culminate and Keepa Cruisin, in particular, give the Ardmore trainer a very strong hand.
Keepa Cruisin was one of our better 3-year-old fillies of last season.
She has failed to win in five starts this preparation, but that might be about to change.
Certainly, McKee is expecting something better than when she was beaten into fourth behind Prince Kaapstad at Ellerslie on Melbourne Cup day.
"When she got home after that race she was a bit off colour," he said yesterday.
"I had her checked out and she'd had something that had attacked her system.
"You might have expected her to win that race, but given she wasn't quite right, to be beaten three-quarters of a length by Prince Kaapstad was actually a very good run."
From the inside barrier, you would expect Keepa Cruisin to be difficult to contain in this field.
McKee has the opposite problem with Culminate. who has drawn gate No 15.
The last-start winner will come in a few positions, depending on what is scratched, but it still adds to her task.
"All we can do is get her to work up towards the first corner and see what her options are at that point," he said.
Culminate is game and consistent and McKee expects a top effort.
"She's very well and I expect her to race near her best."
Ististar and Striker are lesser chances.
"Ististar has been disappointing the last couple of runs, although she was a bit sore after her run at Trentham last start.
"She's okay again now, but I'd say she'd need a bit of rain to produce her best in this field."
McKee has a bit of an opinion of Striker, a R80 winner at Te Rapa last start.
"This is a big step up for her and she might be a race or two away from this class yet, but she probably deserves a crack at it.
"It's a terrible draw (No 17) and we'll ride her for luck."
Veloce Bella missed practically all of her 4-year-old season because of ligament damage to a leg.
She came back from a year's break with a close second to Royal Duke at Awapuni on November 11.
"I would have preferred a longer gap between these first two races, but I didn't really have a choice," says trainer Mark Brosnan.
Veloce Bella looked outstanding beating the colts and gelding in races like the Avondale Guineas and her work at Matamata this week suggests she is not far away from that type of form.
Tootsie has gradually worked her way through the grades, but there was never a doubt her rightful place was going to eventually be against the best.
