Racing: Railway favourite shunted to wide gate

Sistema Railway favourite Volpe Veloce. Photo / Trish Dunell

There would be very few races in New Zealand where the barrier draw is awaited with apprehension more than Ellerslie's Railway.

Unfortunately the $200,000 Sistema Railway favourite Volpe Veloce came up with a frightening gate No 12 when the fields were declared yesterday for Monday's feature.

Yes, Railways can be won from out wide, but there is a decent list of where it has proved costly. What will help Volpe Veloce is that she is nothing if not game.

When she won at Ellerslie on December 9 last start she looked no hope of pegging back Heroic Valour, but like all top horses she found a way to win when she couldn't. The barrier adds a further dimension to an already fascinating race.

The Railway winner of 12 months ago, Start Wondering, is well off in gate No 4.

Because of the Railway's conditions he carried a luxury 55.5kg and this time has 59kg topweight. Ferrando has drawn out at No 11.

The two favourites On The Rocks and Demonetization have fared well in the barrier draw for the $100,000 Jamieson Park Auckland Guineas. There is plenty of talent beneath these two extremely talented 3-year-olds in keeping with the extreme promise of our young thoroughbreds.

Eight Carat Classic winner Contessa Vanessa gave the impression on Boxing Day that she would be well suited by the step to 2000m of the $100,000 Stella Artois Royal Stakes and she will get the chance to prove that from gate No 3. With her winning rider from the Eight Carat, apprentice Ryan Elliot, suspended the jockey this time will be Chris Johnson. The Eight Carat runner-up Kapoor is missing from the field and Gris Dame, narrowly beaten in that race, comes out of the No 4 barrier.

On a day of features, the $200,000 Avondale Cup is definitely one of them. Waikato Cup winner Five To Midnight is joined by Benzini, Sofia Rosa and Promise To Reign in what will be the best middle distance Cup we've seen so far this season. Metric miles at Ellerslie are meant to be very open affairs, but you couldn't do better than the line-up for the $100,000 Rich Hill Mile.

A contest between Love Affair, Coldplay, Ruud Not To and Charles Road would make for a fabulous race.

But add The Justice League, Yearn, Tiptronic, Watch This Space and Ocean Emperor and a thriller comes into the frame. Melbourne's Regan Bayliss, brother of temporary visitor Jake Bayliss, will come across to ride Ocean Emperor.

The $70,000 Barneswood Farm Eclipse Stakes field is packed with juvenile talent.

Six Group races. Feature after feature.