By MIKE DILLON
Welcome to winter racing. Old warhorse Watch Officer certainly welcomes it, something he might prove in today's $52,000 Rotorua Cup.
Remarkably, Rotorua copped only 10mm of rain yesterday compared to Auckland's deluge, but heavy rain earlier this week already had the track bordering on heavy.
It will be winter conditions and few will appreciate that more than Watch Officer (No7, R7), who looked a next-upper when he got home strongly for third at Ellerslie last start at only his second race since last November.
He is a lot fitter for that.
While the No 1 barrier draw may not be ideal for the second half of the programme on what is likely to be a testing track, it will be up to Matthew Williamson to find him the right path from the 1000m.
The field is stacked with chances. Clase Alida (No2), Queen Of The Desert (No10), Foxman (No3) and Windsor Phew (No5) are highly capable stayers on "off" tracks.
Today's race will be Foxman's last in New Zealand for some time because the seven-year-old gelding is being taken to Melbourne on Monday week, for a mix of flat racing and hurdling.
Race 3 looks like a struggle between last-start Ellerslie winner Okiwi Bay (No3) and Wanganui visitor Van Winkle (No2), but don't disgregard Krystal Klear (No1).
Krystal Klear is going to have to be good to give the other male pair weight, but she is very tough as she showed when she won at Ellerslie after doing it hard to get handy on the corner.
She also showed she could handle the heavy stuff when third to Party Queen at Tauranga.
Nicko (No5) is also in with a big chance in these conditions. An interesting race.
Nicko's stablemate False Claim (No2, R4) will be well suited by the track conditions.
He should be a fair way fitter for his first-up Ellerslie run where he ran out of condition late after sitting outside the leader. Markali (No8) is some value.
Classify (No1, R5) has a touch of class and has been racing in stronger fields than he meets here. He has to carry his full 58kg, but is dour type and more than a match to do it.
He has won on heavy footing and is unbeaten in two starts on the Rotorua course.
Look for sharp improvement in Von Nida, who loves the heavy stuff.
Jumpers' flat races are normally a nightmare, but Cool Conductor (No2, R6) has been running in races with opposition much stronger than most of today's rivals have faced and with a good soft track record, deserves a winning turn.
You won't get fancy odds about Zapeace (No1, R9), but it is difficult to predict her demise.
She has what it takes for today - she loves it wet and hits the finish line hard. Zapeace has won six of her 14 starts in New Zealand, and a win in a rich fillies and mares race on her travels to Melbourne last spring means she has earned more than $150,000.
Assuming Durzetta is withdrawn because of the conditions,quinella and trifecta might be ideal, Justine (No7), Trilliant (No19) and Latour (No17) are the value runners.
How Call Me Zeus (No4, R10) handles the heavy track, particularly late in the day, will be interesting, but he handled the soft footing okay to win at Ellerslie last start.
If it comes down to class he should get the money - in a slog it might be a bit different with Maserati (No3), Classic Phantom (No2) and On Spec (No1) real chances.
Racing: 'Off' tracks just right up winter specialists' alley
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