“She worked very well against Ethereal Star at Pukekohe on Monday and I think she is right where she needs to be.
“She is a big, fast filly who I think will lead, she has a good jockey [Craig Grylls] and I think if she can kick at the 400m she will take some catching.”
They were the tactics the Marsh-trained Ruud Awakening used to win the 2013 Karaka Million but she was far more proven than Ulanova. She went on to beat Bounding in the Diamond Stakes at her next start and even raced in the Golden Slipper, rarefied air for a Kiwi filly.
Ulanova meets a far stronger Karaka Million than the largely forgotten field of 2013, with early speed and favourites such as Ethereal Star, Trobriand and Impendabelle drawn to be on her hammer.
So Marsh’s choice of the filly as his best hope could embolden punters to back her, or have them second guessing Zee Falls or El Vencedor.
Zee Falls meets a mixed bunch in the Karaka Stayers Cup and her last-start third in the much stronger QEII Cup suggests she will be hard to beat with Damian Lane jumping aboard.
“She was really good last start and I am sure she can go close, although the track being a 4 or a 5 would help her more than a 3,” offers Marsh.
El Vencedor drops enormously in the weights from his last start to tomorrow’s Concorde.
He gave winner Synchronize 6kg as a false topweight last start whereas tomorrow only 0.5kg separates the pair.
“He went super with that big a weight last and the drop to 53.5kg is enormous so he can win,” says Marsh.
“I just wish he had drawn a lower gate but it might not stop him.”
Marsh also has Tina Again chasing her third win on end in the Westbury Classic but she finds herself giving away 37 rating points to Railway winner Imperatriz and only getting 4kg advantage, which hardly seems a fair trade.