Racing: Rain - love it or hate it

Farmers are praying for rain but Heather Weller is praying against it.

If Weller gets her wish her metric miler Silky Red Boxer can figure in the finish of Saturday's $150,000 Easter Handicap at Ellerslie.

Silky Red Boxer, a certainty beaten at his last start, is out to prove Weller wrong. The trainer declared before his last appearance that he was heading straight into 2000m racing next time out.

"I'm happy to be proven wrong," said Weller yesterday. "This is a nice race for him and I'm delighted that he's still competitive at 1600m."

At Trentham Silky Red Boxer became locked in a pocket behind the favourite and eventual winner Kristov. The Drummer, on the outside of the pair, failed to drop away in time and Silky Red Boxer was asked to make up one length on Kristov in less than 100m and he failed by one stride and a nose. Had he worked into the clear in time he would have won easily.

Remarkably, the TAB made him Lay Of The Day that Saturday at $7 and bad luck, or in their case good fortune, saved the betting desk a solid hiding.

Easter Handicaps are not won easily. To be successful a horse has to be able to get to the finish line strongly and Silky Red Boxer shines in that area.

"He's really done well," says Weller.

The Foxton trainer is delighted Noel Harris has turned down several prominent winning chances to ride Silky Red Boxer. Te Aroha commitments prevented Harris being at Trentham two weeks ago and Mark Barnsley filled in.

Harris said it was difficult to choose make between Silky Red Boxer and Rapid Kay.

"Rapid Kay is pretty smart when there's a bit of rain around. If the track deteriorated, she would come right into the race, but my heart told me to stick with Silky Red Boxer."

"It's all up to the rain now," said Weller. "I know they're predicting rain throughout the weekend, but from what I know about weather maps, I don't think the patterns look too bad. I'm hoping I'm right and they're wrong."

The McKee stable is hoping the official weather predictions are on the money for their big-winning Millennium, who took the Easter a year ago, much to the delight of his part-owner, Auckland Racing Club chairman Lyn Stevens.

Millennium needed wet footing as a young horse. He now appears just as happy on any track other than rock hard, but his advantage would be that rain would hamper a number of leading chances.

The first-up effort over an unsuitable 1200m at Te Aroha recently would have fitted Millennium nicely for this.

John Sargent will produce Bhandara and Tickle in the race. It will be Bhandara's last start before spelling and Tickle is preparing for the Queensland winter carnival and is "90 per cent fit", says Sargent.

Bhandara got going too late when she flashed home for fifth behind Rockabubble in the group one at Te Aroha last start. Noel Harris rode her and said the mare did not feel to be travelling right approaching the home turn.

"Once she got sprinting she was fine - it was a case of me not really knowing her."