Racing: Sargent unleashes more troops

When a stable is in form anything seems possible.

No one can argue John Sargent is in form - the winners keep flocking in after a season last year that was modest by the Sargent standards.

Tomorrow, the Matamata horseman has a big chance to pick up the two group one features, the $200,000 Whakanui Stud Stakes and the $200,000 Waikato Draught Sprint.

Passchendaele is a handicapper with only two open-class starts behind her, yet her class is such that she rates highly in the Whakanui.

"It's a gettable race for her. This is a real opportunity at group one."

The timing is perfect.

Passchendaele is in the $1 million Stella Artois Auckland Cup on a luxury 52kg and cannot be re-handicapped for that race because the Cup weights are already declared.

"If she shows up on Saturday they'll know she's there," said Sargent yesterday. "I know how good she is on her day."

Passchendaele had a break after winning the Waikato Cup and produced a remarkable finish to be within a head of Nadege over a too-short 1400m at Avondale when resuming. She does not require a great deal of racing and that one race was all she needed to have her fit for this.

Sargent will produce Australian sprinter Kiloton in the Waikato Draught Sprint.

Kiloton rates highly after a useful fourth in the Railway at Ellerslie and an even better fourth in the Telegraph, when he was stuck in the worst of the footing along the inside in the home straight.

The form on paper of last year's winner Mufhasa looks ordinary, but trainer Stephen McKee is happy his Horse Of The Year is in form.

"In the Telegraph he was fine coming down the chute because the footing wasn't bad, but Sam [Spratt] said when he hit the wet ground on the course proper he fell to bits," said McKee.

The interesting runner is Wealth Princess, who is giving away a massive deficit to run at weight-for-age.

She carried just 52kg in the Telegraph to Mufhasa's 56kg and would be carrying much the same if this was a handicap race. Instead, she will have to shoulder 57kg.

One rival Passchendaele won't have to worry about tomorrow is classy filly Keep The Peace, who will run against her own age group instead of taking on the guns.

Trainer Shaune Ritchie and his owners feel the Cambridge Stud Sir Tristram Fillies Classic is the sensible option going ahead to the Oaks.

"We entered her in the big race in case she drew very wide in the Sir Tristram," said Ritchie.

"If she'd drawn wide she would have had a very tough race from that 2000m starting point.

"As it is she's drawn okay at No 8.

"At least against the fillies we'll get an idea of where she stacks up against the others and how much ground we need to make up on them in the Oaks, if we need to make up any at all."

' Last start, Keep The Peace beat two rivals tomorrow, Katie Lee and Obsession, in the Desert Gold Stakes at Trentham.

This time, the fillies jump from 1600m to 2000m, something Katie Lee and another strong chance, Veronica Franco, have tried and Obsession and Keep The Peace haven't.

Katie Lee's big heart kicked in and allowed her to make a sustained run at Adaline to finish second in the Royal Stakes at Ellerslie over 2000m.

Veronica Franco finished fourth in that race, only 1.25 lengths away and similarly finishing well.

The only major chance to have drawn awkwardly is Obsession, who has No 11, which may come into No 9.

Obsession led them up in the Desert Gold and sprinted away from the pack early in the home straight.

The track that day was dead against horses on the inside and Obsession became anchored as Keep The Peace and Katie Lee brushed by in the fast lane.