By BARRY STREET
Awapuni's loss will become Ellerslie's gain because of the hiccup in Flying Babe's outstanding 2-year-old campaign.
The tearaway Takanini filly was struck down by a virus after her latest win, in the Matamata Breeders' Stakes.
"It took her 16 days to overcome that," co-trainer Richard Yuill said.
"So it's cost her two races, the Ford Two-year-old Classic [won at New Plymouth on Saturday by San Luis] and next weekend's Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes at Awapuni."
Flying Babe is on the road to recovery, Yuill said, and should be back to her explosive best for the Great Northern Foal Stakes at Ellerslie on April 14 and the Ford Ellerslie Sires' Produce Stakes on April 21.
The Jillings-Yuill team believes that, but for a quick diagnosis of Flying Babe's viral problem, her 2-year-old campaign could have been over.
"A very high temperature reading told us that something was seriously wrong with her," Yuill said, "so straightaway we hit her quite heavily with antibiotics.
"Thank goodness we did because other horses with that strain of virus have suffered a lot worse than her."
There was a definite sign last week that Flying Babe was looking for more action, Yuill said.
"I rode her myself a couple of times in her work, and she was right back to her old self, ears back, full of cheek and licking her bin clean."
Yuill's report on the stable's other exciting 2-year-old, Sedecrem, was not so rosy.
The Faltaat colt was in a good deal of pain after he completed back-to-back wins at Te Aroha, despite casting a plate, last Saturday week.
He has since been lame with three deep punctures in his near forefoot.
It was expected that, barring infection, Sedecrem would probably come right in two or three days.
"But that hasn't happened," Yuill said, "and I can't helping feeling sorry for the horse. He's been right miserable and hasn't even been able to put his crook foot on the ground.
"X-rays have shown nothing wrong, but I can't help feeling he must have bruised a pedal bone or something."
Counting chickens before they hatch can be foolhardy, especially in racing, Yuill admitted.
Where only recently the Jillings-Yuill stable looked to have a mortgage on the $120,000 Manawatu Sires' Produce with Flying Babe and a powerful back-up chance with Sedecrem it now won't even have a runner.
* * *
Mark down Panatella as a worthy opponent for Flying Babe in the Foal Stakes next month.
The Honor Grades filly showed a fine turn of speed - 1100m in 1:3.72 - when winning the Lion Red Juvenile by two and a quarter lengths from Mr Bossini at Ellerslie on Saturday.
Taking into account that Mr Bossini had finished a close third to Flying Babe and Vinaka in the Eclipse Stakes at Ellerslie on January 2, Panatella's form now reads pretty good.
Lance O'Sullivan rode her to win on a rain-affected track at Tauranga last month and insisted she "wasn't just a mudder."
And regular rider Alwin Tweedie is so rapt in her he no longer wants to retire, as he intended, at the end of this season.
Panatella was meant to be sold at last year's National Yearling Sales, but her owner-breeder, Betty Saunders, decided she was a "bit too small" to present at Karaka and gave her to his daughter, Louise Saunders, of Takanini, to train.
It is doubtful Panatella will back up a second time against Flying Babe in the Ellerslie Sires' Produce, which is over 1400m.
* * *
The racing colours made famous two decades ago by Uncle Remus were to the fore again on Saturday.
Four-year-old Tunzi, by McGinty from Uncle Remus's best-performed daughter, Announce, bore them with distinction from last to first in a maiden 2100m at Ellerslie.
Owner-trainer-breeder Kim Clotworthy, who co-owned Uncle Remus, said he just had to buy Announce to breed from after she finished racing from Trevor Lawson's stable at Takanini.
"For me there was a lot of sentiment about that win today," Clotworthy said, "and I don't think it will be Tunzi's last."
"She gives every indication of getting a trip, so I'll be trying her over 2400m at Ellerslie next month."
Racing: Recovering Flying Babe to make return at Ellerslie
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.