Racing: Strong hand in Ellerslie feature

They'll start talking about Auckland Racing Club chairman Lyn Stevens if he keeps winning big races on his own track.

He has two chances in Saturday's big Ellerslie metric mile, the $150,000 Easter Handicap, Millennium and Calveen. Big-winning Millennium is on track to be competitive and the enigmatic Calveen is on the improve again.

Calveen had been in devastating form in the early summer. Trainer Lance O'Sullivan has been less happy with her condition and form more recently.

He was far from confident going into the group one Breeders Stakes at Te Aroha two weeks ago, but Calveen turned in a good, if not quite spectacular effort for a luckless fourth.

She was hampered on the inside rail behind horses for much of the home straight and finished fourth.

"I'm not saying she would have won, but had she worked into the clear earlier I'm confident she would have finished third - there was too big a margin between second and third to say she'd have finished closer," said O'Sullivan.

This time the trainer is happier with his mare.

"I feel she's a bit better going into this race - but then she'd need to be, this is a step up again."

The winner of that Te Aroha race, Rockabubble, looms as a danger again provided the track is close to firm. She is such a long strider that it's difficult to imagine rain-affected footing not shortening up her stride.

Rockabubble has a remarkable finishing sprint, which she appears to be able to produce off any speed.