Racing: Right-handed trip should suit Medit King better

John Wheeler has never been frightened to experiment.

The master Taranaki trainer noticed something small about Medit King's performance to finish third to impressive winner Snazzy at Awapuni last Saturday and immediately booked him on a float to tomorrow's Te Awamutu races.

"He was tending to lug away from the rail last week - he wasn't happy to stay on his near-side front leg.

"There was no suggestion of soreness, so I thought I'd try him right-handed instead, which is why he's in the north."

Medit King looks to have a bit on most of tomorrow's opposition, which is down a little on quality compared to last Saturday's field.

The 7-year-old was sent back to his home country from Hong Kong as a supposed failure and Wheeler won four straight with him.

"He's a pretty handy horse. He probably isn't going quite as well as when he won four on end, but he's going good enough to just about win this race."

Wheeler said if Medit King performs as expected he would aim him at a suitable race over the Ellerslie carnival.

Michael Coleman rides Medit King tomorrow.

The danger tomorrow looks to be locally-trained Axis. Three starts back on her home track she finished a handy second to All's Well and last start at Awapuni she chased home Cluden Creek. That is good form going into a R92 event.

The Chris and Colleen Wood stable is frustrated trying to find a suitably dry track for Puccini's Opera.

The mare has had three preparatory runs over distances too short for her and is ideally placed over 2000m tomorrow, but she could not produce her best unless the track condition comes back close to good.

Rain on Wednesday night took the rating to slow and the weather today and tomorrow will decide the conditions for the races.

Puccini's Opera will almost certainly be taken out unless there is significant improvement and the horses that will manage a rain-affected track are Zagata, Willandra Prince, Lisvane Lady and Florence May.