By MIKE DILLON
How good is Flying Babe?
You have to believe we will find out when she tackles group one for the first time in Saturday's $120,000 Ford Ellerslie Sires Produce.
Fantastic would have been a fair description of her win in the Ashwell Foal Stakes at Ellerslie on Saturday had she not had an interrupted preparation.
Factor in that she has had to overcome a serious virus, and sensational jumps into the frame.
The big question was whether Flying Babe was fit enough in her first start since winning the Matamata Breeders Stakes in February.
The Takanini filly did not look a winner on the home turn, but raced away anyway.
Remarkably, she was travelling better halfway down the straight and even better at the winning post.
"She never stops surprising me," said a hugely impressed Lance O'Sullivan.
"On the home turn I thought: "Oh, oh, I don't like this."
"Then she found another gear."
Flying Babe has won many of her races with blinding speed, but managed to settle beautifully behind the leaders on Saturday.
The filly has a constitution you could bottle. To have her this fit after a top-end virus which would have flattened an elephant, the Jillings/Yuill stable has had to put considerable pressure on her and she has never taken a backward step.
Colin Jillings has long been in awe of Flying Babe's recuperative powers.
If she crosses the line first in the Sires Produce on Saturday watch him in the grandstand, he will be shaking his head.
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Trainer Ian Adams says he has no choice but to aim Vyner's Lane at the Stradbroke Handicap in Brisbane in June.
The underrated sprinter's win in the Lindauer Special Reserve under 57kg on Saturday leaves him almost no viable New Zealand options because of weight problems, he said.
"There's nothing here for him anyway," said Adams after Vyner's Lane came with a sustained late bid to grab the leaders in the last 75m.
The outside barrier draw - difficult at 1200m anywhere -turned out to be an advantage. Earlier in the day a clear pattern emerged suiting horses finishing hard down the centre of the track from mid-field or back in the pack.
"I knew we couldn't go forward from the draw so I told Michael [Walker] to drop back and have one run at them in the home straight," said Adams.
While six of Vyner's Lane's wins have been at 1200m Adams says he has always felt his stable star would be just as good at the 1400m Stradbroke distance.
"I'll nominate him for a few races in a few places, because it doesn't seem to matter to him whether he races right or left-handed."
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Probably the most impressive winner on Saturday, Sound The Alarm, is also being set for the Stradbroke.
"I've had that in mind for him since I first brought him back into work," said trainer Richard Otto.
Sound The Alarm was having only his second start since Melbourne Cup week at Flemington when he dashed away to win the Clarins in the startling 1200m time of 1.10.74, remarkable considering Vyner's Lane in the open class race took 1.11.37.
The way he worked away from the opposition in the closing stages left little doubt Sound the Alarm is heading for the best classes, despite a career which spans only a handful of starts.
Otto had to ease the 3-year-old in the spring when his soft white feet started to break open.
"He's a very smart horse and will improve a lot on that performance."
The biggest problem Otto is now faced with is getting Sound The Alarm into the Stradbroke final field. A big help would be winning his next start, the Cambridge Breeders Stakes at Te Rapa on Saturday week.
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Peter Izett's father thought he'd cure him of wanting to be involved in racing by giving him a free bet each week when he was at school.
Izett's father, an illegal bookmaker, took a 10 shillings each way bet from his son on Great Peter at Trentham one day.
Great Peter paid £22 in finishing second and Izett was hooked.
The Turangi supermarket owner has won a good number of races as an owner with the likes of The Varmint, Doyle and Brodie.
But Rising Heights, who won on debut at Ellerslie on Saturday, could potentially be the best of them.
"I've been in love with the game since Great Peter," said Izett after Rising Heights led and won untested the Dunstan 1400m.
Izett's luck this year has been sensational.
He took a Zabeel colt to the Karaka sales in February, thought he might get $100,000, and went home with $550,000.
The Frank and Craig Ritchie stable got Rising Heights to train when Izett's good mate Howie Mathews temporarily moved to Australia before returning home.
Fairy Heights, the dam of Rising Heights, is a half sister to the dam of Caulfield Cup winner Sky Heights.
Rising Heights is all neck and legs and has a huge amount of physical development ahead.
"This could be a very good horse in time," said Frank Ritchie.
Racing: Sires will show how good this babe is
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