Racing: Wall Street drawn to turn tables on mare

Keep The Peace is on track for an early spring group one double at Hastings. Photo / Hawke's Bay Today

On firm footing you would think you had won Lotto if you drew barrier No 1 in consecutive group one races.

On winter tracks, it's probably more a case of we might have to come back next time.

Keep The Peace got away with drawing No 1 in the $200,000 Mudgway Stakes at Hastings on August 28 - she won the feature race, despite the barrier rather than because of it.

She's going to have to do it again to win Saturday's $200,000 Windsor Park Plate on the course.

The way the weather forecast is shaping leading into the weekend, the track, particularly on the rail, is likely to be more cut up this time than for the Mudgway.

This will put pressure on jockey James McDonald to again search for the magical path he picked for the Cambridge mare last start.

Hot favourite Wall Street, who pushed Keep The Peace to a Mudgway photo finish, looks to have drawn perfectly at six.

If the 1600m starting point at Hastings is not New Zealand's worst, it's certainly one of them.

With a very short run to the first bend that leads into the back straight, inside horses can get the chop along the rail if they don't jump cleanly then strongly hold their position. Horses coming across the face of the field can cause havoc.

The almost certain option will be to ride Keep The Peace forward again.

Wall Street powered home at Keep The Peace in the Mudgway. Given the jump this time to 1600m from 1400m there is no surprise Wall Street is the $2.20 favourite, with Keep The Peace at $4.20 when final field betting kicked in with the closing of the fields yesterday.

That gap was even wider in the futures market: $2 out to $4.50.

TAB bookie Thad Taylor can't see much changing there.

"They are very confident with Wall Street this time by the way the money is coming. There hasn't been a flood, but it's very steady.

"The $2.20 might seem short, but usually when they see a short-priced favourite and judge that it's false odds then they'll back a couple to beat it. That hasn't happened this time, which suggests to me the price is about where it should be.

"You never like to label an event like this a two-horse race, but that's the way it's looking."

The official rating of Hastings remained a slow 9 yesterday with rain forecast tonight and tomorrow night.

Taylor says punters may rally more the way of Keep The Peace if the conditions worsen. "I know Wall Street can handle some wet tracks, but I think he copes, rather than relishes it.

"Keep The Peace doesn't seem to mind either way, even though she's probably better on a surface like she won the Mudgway on (slow 8)."

Pennacchio is third favourite at $10.

Market: $2.20 Wall Street, $4.20 Keep The Peace, $10.00, Pennacchio, $16 Time Keeper, $18 Vosne Romanee, Bulginbaah, Fritzy Boy, Eileen Dubh; $21 My Keepsake. $26 Firebolt, Illuminates; $31 Veloce Bella, $41 Hold It Harvey, St Germaine; $81 Eric The Viking.