Racing: Royal visit from South

Opie Bosson. Photo / Natalie Slade

Co-trainer Shane Anderton sees Opie Bosson as the man for the job to land southern mare Royal Flight home in tomorrow's $45,000 Ingham-Sears Mercedes Tauranga Classic.

Bosson's bomb-proof temperament makes him one of the coldest riders in the business and Anderton wants to see the coldest Bosson ride of the season tomorrow.

"There have been times when she's got to the front too soon in her races and started to pull up late," said the Wingatui trainer.

"In the Winter Cup last year she got to the front early in the run home and got run down late by Propel and Taking The Mickey. She's got a good sprint on her, which means she can get there a bit too soon."

Royal Flight has won nine races but has been to the North Island only once previously, when she finished second to She Knows in the Cuddle Stakes at Trentham last October.

"I thought she was a bit unlucky that day," says Anderton.

"David [Walsh] went quite wide on her on the home bend where the winner came down the rail and got a winning advantage.

"David hadn't ridden her before and came in and said if they ran the race again he probably wouldn't make the decision to go wide."

That Cuddle Stakes formline is strong in this line-up, which is useful, but not overly strong.

It took three days to get Royal Flight from Dunedin to Cambridge, but the mare has apparently settled in well since Tuesday. If she performs up to expectations tomorrow she will remain north for the Opunake Cup.

The field is extremely even and Cool Cruising probably appeals as the main danger to Royal Flight by virtue of having won her latest three races in dashing style.

This is a much tougher quest against this field at virtual level weights, but there was a lot to like about the way she scooted away to win by 3.3 lengths at Pukekohe last time to give James McDonald his seasonal record of 198.

With McDonald riding in Brisbane tomorrow Cool Cruising will be handled by Michael Coleman.

Among others McDonald is engaged at Eagle Farm in the A$200,000 Tatts Cup for the Harworth/Dixon-trained Smoking Chimneys on whom he won last start at Foxton.

He is also riding Pontiana for the Hawkes team in the A$500,000 Tatts Tiara and Atom Cat in the last race for Graham Richardson.

Lisa Latta's pair of Sacha and Platinum Zana also make a fair amount of appeal behind Royal Flight. Both like the heavy stuff and both are previous winners at Tauranga - quite an important statistic.

If you think the 59kg Indikator is landed with in tomorrow's $45,000 Amcor Kiwifruit Cup looks prohibitive hark back to three starts ago.

Indikator won the Rotorua Cup with 58.5kg by four lengths and won it so easily he could have carried significantly more weight.

The high class winter stayer was subsequently twice beaten in Sydney, but looks much better placed here.

Indikator is clearly in career best form and is a three-time winner on the Tauranga track from six starts.

Montjee looms as a lightweight danger. He is also a Tauranga winner and looked an improver when third at Te Rapa last start at only his second race back from a break.

He drops from 59kg that day to 53kg.