By MIKE DILLON
Frank Ritchie spent most of yesterday looking for a cloud above Sydney.
He had no luck, but he has still not conceded Saturday's $A1 million Mercedes Classic to runaway Australian weight-for-age star Tie The Knot.
Ritchie believes Showella is better than the 20-1 chance she is quoted in Australia.
The Takanini trainer vividly remembers Showella's luckless third behind Tie The Knot in the Mercedes last year. The gun Aussie got a dream inside gap in the home straight for Shane Dye and outgunned Showella, who had been forced to sit outside the leader throughout.
On that day Tie The Knot won his second Mercedes by a long neck, with Arena a short head in front of Showella after leaning on the Kiwi mare for much of the last 200m.
Showella's form on paper since that race looks ordinary, but she has had extraordinary bad luck.
A ligament problem torpedoed her Caulfield and Melbourne Cup hopes and she jarred up on a rock-hard Flemington track in the Australian Cup last start.
Ritchie galloped Showella on an easy track at Rosehill and the result has given him a lot of confidence of a repeat of the performance of last year.
"She really appreciated the easing of the ground after what she struck at Flemington," said Ritchie yesterday.
She galloped 1600m with Bluebird The Word and, after an easy first 400m, came in from the 1200m in 1min 13.5sec and clocked 36.5sec for the last 600m.
"Even allowing they were running pretty fair times, that was great work from her."
He said her raceday rider, Grant Cooksley, was delighted with the effort.
"Grant said she ran straight and true and was not feeling her legs at all."
After considerable rain, the Rosehill track has dried each day this week. The forecast is good and the track is expected to be firm for Saturday, but not as firm as for last week's Rosehill Guineas day, when it was officially harder than it has been in at least two months.
"The track will be firm on Saturday, but it has a good sole of grass and they will get some cushion from it," said Ritchie.
"You can't find a cloud within 700km of Sydney at the moment."
He said Tie The Knot was in exceptional form, possibly even up half a notch from where he was this time last year.
New rider Paddy Payne appears to get on extremely well with the horse.
The 2400m distance will suit fellow New Zealander Kaapstad Way.
Trainer Chris Wood is looking for a big run to give him the confidence to press ahead with plans to accept an invitation to run in the $2 million Queen Elizabeth Cup in Hong Kong next start.
"I want to see him hitting the line well in this," said Wood.
"If he does, he'll be going to Hong Kong."
Giovana, Hill Of Grace, Brew and Second Coming provide New Zealand with a strong attack, but bookmakers have Tie The Knot a $2 favourite with Kaapstad Way and Sky Heights next best at $8.
Roger James is confident Giovana is back to her best form after an improvement in her trackwork since last racing.
Racing: Ritchie out to bury Mercedes memory
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