Racing: Queen of the seaside turf seeks Stakes win

It is the one race that has oddly eluded Donna Logan at Ruakaka.

And despite all her firepower in the listed Oceanz Seafood Breeders Stakes tomorrow, the undisputed queen of the seaside turf is still not convinced she can tick it off the list.

Her precocious fillies Jungle Juice and Carrie Ann must overcome double-digit draws, and Logan warns that likely favourite Bally Duff could find the 1200m too short.

Logan and co-trainers Dean Logan and Chris Gibbs had set Bally Duff for a lightning raid on the group one TJ Smith (1600m) in Brisbane last month.

But the attempt was thwarted by the cargo plane being grounded on the Auckland Airport tarmac by a mechanical fault.

Co-owner Logan's only consolation was that she'd negotiated the refund of the late nomination fee of $11,000 if the horse couldn't get there through circumstances beyond her control.

Although the O'Reilly colt has yet to win a race in two attempts - he's run two luckless seconds - Logan has no doubt he would have been tough to beat in Queensland.

Such is Bally Duff's reputation she had seven carnival headliners wanting to ride him, before she settled on Michael Rodd.

"I wouldn't call him a red-hot cert in this field," said Logan of Bally Duff's eagerly anticipated return to racing in the $50,000 feature.

"I've said all along you'll see him at his very best over ground. It's really only that this is on his doorstep that he's racing at all.

"If he had to travel I wouldn't even contemplate running him."

Team Logan is using tomorrow's assignment mainly as an early lead-up to rich Sydney spring targets.

"We've turned down heaps of offers for him - for over $500,000 - but I've always wanted to win a Derby," said Logan who co-owns the colt with former Zabeat partner Ashley Goodwin.

Takanini filly Masquerade is the front-runner to win a $5000 bonus each for trainer Stephen McKee and her syndicate in the final of the club's 2-year-old Triple Crown series.

Masquerade finished fourth in the series opener and was an impressive next-up winner on the course on June 17 to narrowly beat first-day winner Poetic Music in a wide-open contest.

Logan rates another local, the series' third-placed Kenny and Lisa Rae-trained Champagne Rose, as a big danger tomorrow.

The Thorn Park filly has had no luck in the first two Triple Crown events and Logan has been impressed with the horse's work during the week.

Rae won the Breeders' Stakes with Seven Hills three years ago only to lose the winner's cheque in the judicial room for causing interference to Amazing Me.