Racing: Sir Slick ready to turn form around for Merial Metric Mile

A form reversal is on the cards for Sir Slick in the $75,000 Merial Metric Mile today, as far as the horse's trainer and part-owner Graeme Nicholson is concerned.

Sir Slick goes into the group three handicap at the Marton Jockey Club's meeting at Awapuni, Palmerston North, having finished last when resuming racing at Hastings on September 2.

That was in the group one $200,000 weight-for-age Mudgway Stakes (1400m) but Nicholson said the run was best discarded when assessing his chances.

"You can forget about that run," Nicholson said yesterday.

The hind heels of Sir Slick were clipped by the favourite Darci Brahma at the top of the straight in the Mudgway and Nicholson said rider Bruce Herd reported the horse lost interest afterwards.

"Bruce said as soon as that happened, that was it. He said he just became off balanced and didn't travel at all.

"He said he was lucky the horse balanced himself not to fall."

The Awapuni track was rated dead yesterday but was verging on a good classification with a penetrometer reading of 2.7. A penetrometer read of 2.5 would be a good track.

Nicholson was delighted to hear of the reasonably firm track.

"That's brilliant. He'll run 1.35."

A time of one minute 35 seconds for the 1600m would just about be a winning time.

Sir Slick is a promising galloper with seven wins from 39 starts and scored his best win last autumn.

That came in the group two $120,000 Japan/New Zealand Trophy Handicap (1600m) at Tauranga on March 25.

Two starts later he ran away with a $40,000 open handicap over 1600m at Awapuni when scoring by more than five lengths.

Both those wins were on slow tracks but he is just as capable on better tracks.

He is a winner on a dead surface and has four wins on good tracks.

Nicholson said Sir Slick was showing signs of physical maturity at the end of his last campaign and he was hopeful this season will be his best.

"I said last autumn, you wait till he's five. His work been brilliant the last week."

Sir Slick was yesterday not among the favourites on the New Zealand TAB's fixed-odds market.

He was listed at $13 while Wahid had firmed in favouritism from $5.50 on Thursday to $4.50 yesterday.

Wahid also resumed in the Mudgway Stakes but had his chances extinguished when checked at the top of the straight.

However he will be improved by the Hastings outing and should pose a much tougher prospect today.

- NZPA