KEY POINTS:
Trainer Don Sellwood rarely backs his horses up in a week.
But then there's no reason not to give class mare Imananabaa her second race in eight days in tomorrow's Breeders Stakes.
Imananabaa hardly had a race at Awapuni last Saturday when blocked for a run for most of the home straight behind Tipulater in the 1400m sprint.
The 4-year-old mare, best known as a sprinter, has had only one career run over 1600m, finishing 11th in Dorabella's 1000 Guineas in November 2006, but that race does not provide a true indication of her ability to run out a strong metric mile.
Ridden quietly, Imananabaa can produce a sparkling sprint and if she can get a decent draw from an awkwardly wide gate, she could be the surprise in the race.
Her form at group one level is better than many in this field.
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A couple of months ago Brian McKeagg was confident that Young Isaac was going to make a very good stayer with another year on him.
With three wins from his last four starts, Young Isaac is proving that if his trainer is right he will certainly be a very difficult horse to beat next year.
Young Isaac is seeking a winning treble in tomorrow's $50,000 J Swap Te Aroha Cup.
And the way he ran on to share the interesting dead heat with Dimondsontheinside at Tauranga last start suggests he will be well suited by the wide expanses of Te Aroha tomorrow.
Noted front runner Desert Flight surprisingly got back in the race Young Isaac won at Tauranga.
He was forced to cover a lot of extra ground in mid-field and it was no surprise he dropped away and finished last.
Despite the fact it is one of the biggest tracks in the north, Te Aroha can often suit front runners and if Desert Flight reverts to his usual pattern of creating the speed he could turn his form around in dramatic fashion.
Hardy stayer Valley Chief is in the same class. He loves to dominate up front and did well to finish third at Tauranga in a strong form pointer for this.
