Some say it's 1 lengths. That's the disadvantage a horse has travelling across the Tasman to race against the "other team".
Usually it's us Kiwi that have to put up with that. Saturday sees talented Melbourne mare Miss Maren battling those odds in the Kelt Capital Stakes.
Group racing form in Australia is always gold compared with some of the local form and Miss Maren has it.
The Mick Price-trained mare apparently looked bright when she stopped off at Matamata yesterday morning for a light workout before heading on down to Hastings and Saturday's $1.2 million feature.
Don't underestimate how tough that trip can be, especially for a mare.
- AAP reported yesterday that the Caulfield trainer said the Kelt Capital may be the best chance staying mare Miss Maren will ever get to win a group one race.
Owned by the Carter family in New Zealand, Miss Maren had a long trip which involved a two-day stopover in Sydney and the travel to Hastings.
"She is a pretty good tempered mare now and should handle it," Price told Sport 927. Price has closely watched how the Kelt Capital has taken shape and assesses it as being a relatively weak group one, with AJC Oaks winner Daffodil one of the main chances along with 2008 Doomben Cup and AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Sarrera.
"I have been keeping an eye on the Hawkes Bay noms and I just think it has dropped off a bit," said Price who describes Miss Maren as a group three mare.
"I don't think it will be the strongest group one ever presented.
"If I ran her [Miss Maren] in the Cranbourne Cup it would probably be just as hard for her."
Price said Leith Innes would ride Miss Maren and he was confident the mare would handle the Hastings track and appreciate the extra distance.
"She does handle tight tracks and this is her best opportunity to run in a group one with that prizemoney," Price said.
"She is New Zealand-owned and I think it would be a pretty big day if she was to run in the first three."
Miss Maren has won seven of her 21 starts and nearly $290,000 in stakes.
First up this campaign, she landed a 1600m open handicap at Caulfield on August 15 and at her past two starts she has finished ninth to Figure Of Speech in the Listed Heatherlie Handicap (1700m) at Caulfield and eighth to Zarita in the group two Stock Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley.
The market: $2.80 Daffodil, $6 Sarrera, $8 Tavistock, $10 Harris Tweed, $11 Miss Maren, $14 Sterling Prince, $16 Ginga Dude, Prince Kaapstad; $18 Jungle Rocket, $21 Yanna Marie, Alagant Satin, All In Black; $26 Gallions Reach, The Pooka; $31 Fritzy Boy, $41 Sir Slick, $51 Arlington, Eel Win, Vosne Romanee.
The Busuttin stable would have liked a better guide to the chances of Six O'Clock News in Saturday's Metropolitan Handicap in Sydney.
The one they received, galloping on a rain-soaked track at Cambridge yesterday morning, was not ideal.
But Six O'Clock News still made his flight to Sydney late yesterday.
The camp know their top class stayer is in the best form of his career - it would just have been reassuring to have seen it yesterday morning in his last serious piece of work before Saturday's feature.
"You couldn't tell anything from the way he worked," said co-trainer
Trent Busuttin, who late yesterday accompanied the City of Auckland Cup winner on the flight to Sydney.
"He hated the track conditions. You just have to hope the footing at Randwick on Saturday is a lot better.
"The forecast for Sydney is apparently pretty good."
Six O'Clock News will be ridden by Noel Harris, who knows his way around Randwick quite well.
Meanwhile, New Zealand stayers Capecover and Sand Hawk, who missed a start when the Mornington races were abandoned last week, will contest the Mayoral Charity Plate over 2500m at Moonee Valley this evening.
Racing: Price is right for classy Melbourne mare
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