Well-drawn Sierra Nevada could justify Otto's Derby aspirations.
Most of the well fancied runners couldn't buy a good barrier draw for Saturday's $85,000 Supadeal Furniture Avondale Guineas.
But you could probably sell one.
The field line-up had a disastrous look about it yesterday with He's Remarkable drawing barrier No 21, O'Reilly's Prize 19, Yourein 18, Raffles Knight 17 and On The Level 15.
Only 15 run in the Guineas and if the emergencies are the only scratchings those barriers come in 15, 14, 13, 12 and 10, still bad positions in staying races at Ellerslie, particularly with the rail out 10m on Saturday.
Hidden Asset and Sierra Nevada have drawn gates No 1 and No 2.
Sierra Nevada's co-trainer Richard Otto has engaged Brisbane jockey Jim Byrne to ride the promising stayer at Ellerslie on Saturday.
If the stylish winner of his past two performs as well as he expects him to Otto will be keeping a wary eye on the form of Australian 2-year-old Pane In The Glass in the next couple of weeks.
Byrne is looking to ride the Patinack-owned Pane In The Glass in the Golden Slipper Stakes in Sydney and will be unavailable to return to Ellerslie to ride Sierra Nevada in the $2.2 million Telecom Derby on March 5 if the Patinack youngster holds together through his next start.
"Jim has a very strong association with John [Sierra Nevada's owner John Thompson].
"He rode Atapi in Queensland in the Guineas in his year and last winter he rode Tabulate for him at the carnival there."
Otto has a big opinion of Sierra Nevada, a son of High Chaparral.
"A month ago I was certain the Derby was coming up too quick for this horse, but he has just never stopped improving.
"He showed in winning at Te Awamutu last start how much his manners have improved and he keeps stepping up every time we ask him."
Vinny Colgan, who will ride Hidden Asset for the first time on Saturday, was pleased with the horse's gallop at Cambridge yesterday morning after making a trip from Matamata.
Colgan had been tentatively booked for Ice Pin, who will now be ridden by Danielle Johnson.
Given the barriers, the TAB's market on the Guineas opening this morning will be interesting.
Three of the likely favourites for the $100,000 Cardinal Logistics Avondale Cup, Tinseltown, Loose Change and Can't Keeper Down have drawn badly.
However, the Cup is 2400m and although inside gates are always best, the Ellerslie 2400m start provides plenty of time to work in from respective draws of 15, 14 and 11.
Celtic Fantasy finished fifth in yesterday's A$300,000 Mornington Cup after having every chance.
The race produced an amazing finish when Perth stayer Guyno got up to win in the last bound after the favourite Cedarberg and Michael Walker looked certain to score as close as four strides from the finish line.
The win by Guyno was even more remarkable for the horse sitting three wide without cover for the entire race.
Western Australian jockey Jason Whiting was having his first ride at Mornington and had to be shown the location of the jockeys' room.
"He's one tough horse," said winning trainer Lou Luciani and no one was disagreeing.
"He was no chance halfway up, but the closer we got [to the finish] the better he got," said Whiting.
Trainer Stephen McKee will wait until he sees the nominations for Melbourne's Futurity Stakes on Saturday week before deciding whether Mufhasa will run there or in the group one at Otaki the same day.
"I want to see what the weather is going to do as well," said McKee.
"We all know it can get to 40 degrees at this time of year in Melbourne and I wouldn't be keen to drop him into that sort of environment."
McKee said Mufhasa has come through his Waikato Draught Sprint win on Saturday in wonderful order.
Commingling pools both sides of the Tasman will have proved profitable for trainer Ross Elliot.
You could take very short odds Elliot had a decent bet on The Grey Storm when she won the final race at Ellerslie last night.
When Elliot left New Zealand three weeks ago to take up a stable management position in Australia he recommended one of his team, The Grey Storm, in which he retains an ownership share, be transferred to fellow trainer Shelley Hale.
She produced the mare for the first time last night with devastating results at a good price of $15.20.
"The mare arrived in great shape at my place and there was nothing I could do to improve her," said Hale. "You often find when a horse has a change of environment it picks up well."
The Grey Storm had been luckless at her previous start, a guarantee Elliot would have been clutching a betting ticket as he watched the race on television in Australia.
The mare got the decision in the last stride over an equally game Run To The Bank with Asgoodasitgets producing the run of the race to flash home into third from the back of the field.
For most of us who took a $200,000 Pick6 yesterday it was a case of thanks for the donation.
The only indication $32 third-leg knockout winner Phlorum was going to do his thing was that, okay, it was his time of year.
Phlorum's previous placing had been at Paeroa in March last year and his previous win at Paeroa at the same race meeting in 2009.
Yet he ran them ragged yesterday.
The Dow Jones, more fancied without being favourite, ran exactly the same race in the following event, dashing clear from the 300m.
The Pick6 paid a massive $69,219 and the Quaddie, $28,109.
