By MIKE DILLON
There could not have been a worse result than Saturday's $120,000 Ford Ellerslie Sires Produce for deciding juvenile supremacy.
Did it tell us anything at all?
A few things, but not who was definitively the best 2-year-old.
It told us:
* Flying Babe and Vinaka were probably over the top in this preparation.
* San Luis is likely to be a whiz 3-year-old.
* Kapiston is a late bloomer who could be really something next season.
The riders of the three favourites Lance O'Sullivan (Flying Babe), Michael Walker (Vinaka) and Noel Harris on San Luis all declared their horses would have finished in different places on a different day or with a different racing pattern and even the winning rider Michael Coleman was prepared to claim his riding tactics won him the day on Kapiston.
You could argue Flying Babe deserves the top 2-year-old ranking.
She won the most races (six), won the richest race, the $500,000 Mercedes Super Bonus Classic and her performance that day was the most stunning all season.
But Saturday was not her day.
Yet Lance O'Sullivan declared the filly's third was probably her best effort - given the circumstances.
"I've always held her in high regard, but she went up in my estimation with that performance."
O'Sullivan felt Flying Babe's winning run the previous Saturday had almost certainly taken the edge off her.
"But the stable had no choice but to run her. She'd had the virus and to be ready to run 1400m this time she had to have a race."
O'Sullivan knew he was in some trouble when he was unable to realise his plans to lead on the filly and by the home turn he knew he was in a lot of trouble.
"She was a million to one to run third on the home turn - the way she produced when she felt like she had nothing there was fabulous.
"She'll run 1600m and you can say I'm really looking forward to riding her next season."
Michael Walker said he had no excuses for Vinaka beating only Quality King home after leading briefly then trailing the eventual winner Kapiston.
"Flying Babe bumped him and made him start pulling when he led and I let Kapiston head us and go to the front when she came around because I figured the way he can run around in the closing stages I'd let him have a nice last run at them.
"But as soon as he was trailing I knew he wasn't travelling well enough to win.
"There was no petrol in the tank."
San Luis clipped Vinaka's heels at the 700m and cost himself ground.
His rider Noel Harris wanted to run the race again.
"Boy, I'd change a few things if they did," said a disappointed Harris in the jockeys' room.
He admitted he, Walker and O'Sullivan probably should have been immediately more aggressive when watching each other closely three abreast in front at the end of 75m.
"Knowing what I know now I'd should have either led or sat three wide.
"San Luis relaxed too well in behind them and was a shade late getting a clear run in the home straight.
"When I won on him at New Plymouth we were caught three wide and I thought: "I'm in trouble if we don't win today."
"But I realise that was the place to be on him.
"Two-year-olds learn with each race and he's still learning."
San Luis is a magnificent type who looks more like a 3-year-old than a juvenile already.
San Luis narrowly took the Ford Two-Year-Old series with his second and winning the free lease of a $60,000 4WD Ford Explorer for trainer Chris McNab for a year was probably justice for his luckless run.
But the day really belonged to Mike Moroney's training partner Andrew Scott, Michael Coleman and Kapiston.
Late last week Scott ignored the press around the big three and declared Kapiston a huge winning chance.
"I knew she was going to be a fitter horse this time after her third to San Luis and Vinaka at Manawatu. Her work this week was sensational," said Scott.
Unquestionably the winning was when Coleman shot the filly to a clear lead before the halfway stage.
Coleman was gracious enough to admit circumstances rather than cleverness had been the reason.
"The three good horses kept stacking up and stacking up in front and I was getting pushed wider and wider and I thought: "To hell with this.""
It was a bold move on a filly whose racing pattern had been to hit the line hard from behind runners.
Coleman admitted he had been worried on the home turn that the forced tactics may have been fatal, but knew halfway down the running that the opposition was going to be hard pressed to catch Kapiston.
"You know, whatever this filly did at two was always going to be a bonus and here she is a group one winner.
"She's going to be very good at three."
Racing: Supremacy question goes unanswered
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.