Racing: Puccini to take on Australia's best

It might have taken until 4.00am yesterday and quite a few beers before the McKay camp and owners Paul and Cushla Smithies finally settled on taking Puccini to Sydney for the Australian Derby on April 12.

"Your mind keeps going back to the fact he's had quite a long season, but last week is the best he's felt all season," said Peter McKay.

"He's better than at any previous stage, he's fit and he's hard, so that's really telling you to keep going."

The Smithies' Monovale Holdings, the company which races Puccini, bred the colt on a foal-share basis with Coolmore Stud.

As per the agreement, Puccini was taken to the weanling sale and bought back by Monovale. The Smithies prepared Puccini for the Karaka yearling sale but took him home when he failed to make his $160,000 reserve.

If they were disappointed then they certainly are not now.

Also looking to the future is Hastings horseman John Bary after Miss Selby produced the perfect dress rehearsal for the New Zealand Oaks on March 15 when she won her home track feature on Saturday with a minimum of effort.

The Hastings 3-year-old romped to victory in the Little Avondale Stud Lowland Stakes and is now a ruling $3 favourite for the Wellfield-sponsored fillies' feature at Trentham.

"She got a sweet trip and a great ride from Jonathan Riddell and she had a good blow afterwards," trainer John Bary said.

"She knew she had had a race, but then she was five weeks without a run and her class got her there. She'll be ready to go for the Oaks in two weeks' time and she'll run the 2400m, no worries."

Runner-up at her previous two group three appearances in the Eulogy and Desert Gold Stakes, Miss Selby settled in the trail on Saturday and was presented with a perfect inside run at the top of the straight.

She needed little persuasion to take the opportunity and coasted to the line 1 lengths clear of Miss Mossman with Bary also delighted with the effort of his third placegetter Far Fetched.

"She had a massive blow afterwards and she will improve a lot with that run," he said.

"She's got black type now and that's a start and she'll carry on to the Oaks. It's hard to know if she'll get the trip, but she was running on nicely today."

Earlier, the well-bred filly Justa Secret kicked off her career with success in the NZ Bloodstock Insurance Pearl Series 2YO.

The Lisa Latta-trained daughter of Sakhee's Secret is The Oaks Stud's first foal of Keepa Cruisin.

- additional reporting NZ Racing Desk