Racing: Weighty issues puts St Reims out of glamour Auckland Cup

St Reims will be pulled out of the Auckland Cup today.

"We'll do it before the weights are released on Tuesday," said managing owner Rob McAnulty at Ellerslie races yesterday.

St Reims was on trial for the Auckland Cup when he finished a gallant second to Singing Star in Saturday's Waikato Times Gold Cup.

It was clear after that effort that if given 57kg or 57.5kg in the Auckland Cup, St Reims was going to struggle to carry it successfully over 3200m.

It looked a debilitating run, but McAnulty said St Reims has come through it marvellously well.

"Chris [McNab] had a look at him in the paddock at 6.30m this morning and said he looks as though he hasn't had a race."

St Reims will run in the 2000m Zabeel Classic on the last day of the Ellerslie carnival.

"We are very keen to run him in the Singapore International Cup in May and we feel we'll have more ammo if we run in the Zabeel Classic rather than the Auckland Cup."

McAnulty enjoyed watching his sprinter Danbird win effortlessly at Ellerslie yesterday.

"He'll run in the Newmarket before the Railway."

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Jim Gibbs has had to do a u-turn on running one of his stars Devoted in the $200,000 Railway Stakes.

Gibbs had given up on the premier sprint when Devoted failed to recover from the effects of a deep-seated stone bruise, but is delighted his luck has turned.

"You wouldn't believe it, but he was in a paddock next to Kerry O'Reilly and reached under the rail and pulled the other horse's feed bin into his paddock.

"He thought he was real smart, but when the staff went and got it off him, he threw a tantrum like a spoiled child.

"I was at the races and the staff said he went absolutely crazy in his paddock. After the problem he'd had I thought that would bring him undone completely, but two days later he trotted up perfectly."

Gibbs said he would run Devoted in the Newmarket on the first day of the Ellerslie carnival.

"My advice to punters who want to have a bet in the Railway is to wait until they see what he does in the Newmarket."

Gibbs will also run Vaalu in the Newmarket as a Railway prelude.

"He's a big horse who carries a lot of weight, so the racing will help him."

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It probably sounds silly, but there might even be a bit of improvement after Kindacross' track record on Saturday.

"He was really naughty in the barriers," said rider Opie Bosson even before he'd jumped off the back of the flying midget.

Kindacross was so fresh behind the barriers, Bosson had to dismount and have the youngster led around.

Trainer Mark Walker said he will decide midweek where Kindacross races next and a trip to Trentham is possible.

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The Doncaster Handicap is the long-term aim for Calveen, remarkable winner of Saturday's $40,000 Gasmate Stakes at Te Rapa.

The brilliant acceleration Calveen showed when Leith Innes cut her loose in the home straight suggested she might be a live chance in the historic Sydney metric mile.

Calveen is certainly New Zealand's most improved racehorse and is one of the most athletic - she has a stunning extension to her stride when asked to sprint.