Racing: Quest for success bounds on

Statham (blue and red) looks well placed at Thames. Photo / Sarah Ivey

It's a long way from the Railway Stakes to the Thames Cup, but trainers Bev and Ken Kelso and owner Gary Harding will still be excited if Quest can win the $25,000 Thames feature tomorrow.

The mare is a much better chance than her paper form suggests.

Last autumn, Quest won three races straight in the manner of a horse really heading places.

She resumed at Pukekohe on Counties Cup Day over 1400m, finishing only seventh, but the manner of her finish was eye-catching.

"I gave her a 1600m after that because she was still a bit fat and it proved way too short for her," said Ken Kelso yesterday.

Quest tailed the field that day, but now fitter and up to a middle distance, she will be well suited. To her great advantage is that for a stayer she is able to keep handy in running and finish off well; the type that are always difficult to beat in the middle distance races at Thames.

Kelso says Bounding has come through her tough effort to win the Railway well on Wednesday.

He said the stable will wait and see what the handicapper does with her for the Telegraph at Trentham, which is run under different weight conditions to the Railway.

"If we consider the handicap too tough at Wellington we'll head to the weight-for-age 1400m at Te Rapa."

Travel Wise is an interesting runner. He has not raced beyond 1600m and most of his form is at shorter distances, but he managed the 1600m well to win at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

He led that day and after looking likely to be run down he held on strongly. A similar sort of effort would see him difficult to pull back at Thames.

Joey Massino is another interesting competitor who is stepping up in distance. He wilted to be beaten by 2.2 lengths after being taken on in front at Te Rapa last start, so that could be a forgiven effort, and the time before on Melbourne Cup Day at Ellerslie he finished a close-up third to Boninsky and Neo, in form good enough to warrant a winning chance here.

High Roller looks another leading chance in an interesting race.

Only six horses were accepted for the $17,500 Pak 'n Save Sprint, but it's difficult to completely ignore a single one of them.

Statham will probably start favourite off the back of being beaten in the last stride by Civics Rock in the Newmarket last start and finishing a close fourth in the Concorde before that. He led in the Newmarket and around Thames that will help.

Regalia has been in great form and Speech Craft is unbeaten when fresh.