Racing: Win Classic then name your price

Rudy Liefting has two views about Justa Tad winning today's $200,000 Levin Classic at Otaki.

A comprehensive win would almost certainly mean the class filly will be sold to the United States for huge money.

But get right away from thinking Liefting is a keen seller.

The overseas offers for Justa Tad have got to the level where Liefting says he can no longer afford to ignore them.

"But I don't want to sell her," he says.

"My ambition is to win a big race in Australia, which I won't do if I keep selling my good horses."

Liefting trains only two or three at a time and says he has taken one horse to Australia for one start.

"It finished a bad last - it was a nightmare. I want to lose that memory."

The Takanini horseman said offers, almost exclusively from the US, have flooded in since Justa Tad's dashing 1000 Guineas win at Riccarton on November 6.

"I've had three or four very big offers with enough money to buy her and one is still sitting on the table."

For obvious reasons Liefting did not say what impact a win in today's group one Levin Classic would have on the remaining offer.

"But a win would leave me with a couple of options."

He indicated victory would allow him to tweak the deal.

"If she wins decisively, well ... "

As the name suggests, Justa Tad is not big, but has a massive finishing burst.

The long Riccarton home straight provided the maximum opportunity to use that sprint, but the considerably shorter Otaki straight and the near maximum-sized field will not be as user-friendly for the Takanini filly.

The No 1 barrier draw is not ideal for a horse that gets back in the field like Justa Tad, and Liefting was delighted to learn yesterday that the Otaki course today will see a cutaway rail at the top of the home straight.

"She doesn't have the speed from the gates to take advantage of her barrier draw, but at least she will be against the rail, which is the shortest way home.

"The cutaway rail is going to give her rider the opportunity to look for an inside passage, so luck in running will play a big part.

"She's one of the few I've trained that can really sprint near the finish."

Liefting could not be leaving the luck element to anyone better at the moment than Vinny Colgan, whose riding is unrecognisable since completing riding contracts in Singapore and Macau.

Colgan's winning effort on Our Kittyn at Ellerslie last Saturday was not only brilliant, it is almost certainly a carbon copy of what will be required late this afternoon.

The girth rash that troubled Justa Tad at Riccarton has disappeared.

"It was gone two days after the 1000 Guineas. It flared up at exactly the wrong time, but luckily it didn't affect her performance."

Liefting said Justa Tad is at least as well as she was in the South Island. "I can't fault her."

Last week's stylish Tauranga winner Orpington has gone amiss heading for this race, but the remaining field is very strong.

Ambitious Owner will be strongly fancied to leave to continue his career in Hong Kong on a winning performance. His second to End Sweep in the 2000 Guineas at Riccarton was excellent and he will be finishing as strongly as Justa Tad.

The difference between the pair might be the 3-year-old that gets the better passage.

Ambitious Owner's trainer, Murray Baker, was delighted that 20mm of rain fell at Otaki on Wednesday night, pushing the penetrometer out to 2.6.

The opinion of the club is that with no further rain the footing should improve back into around 2.3 or 2.4.

"He's had a bit of travelling now and there are some good fillies in the field, but I'm happy he'll race up to his best," said Baker.

The Moroney-Scott stable expects a top showing from Eloa, but is terrified of the No 15 barrier draw.

"She's had a foot problem and was in need of her Tauranga race last start. She missed the kick there and got travelling a bit hard back among them, but we were happy with the way she ran on.

"She blew heavily after that and has improved a lot. Her work on Tuesday suggests she is right at her best, but to have a chance of running out 1600m on a light preparation she will need cover at some stage.

"Michael Coleman has the tough job of finding her a nice trip early."

* TAB Final Field odds last night: $3.70 Ambitious Owner, $10.00 Magnetism, $18.00 Manten, $26.00 Fiscal Madness, $16.00 Kings Cape, $21.00 Mikki Street, $10.00 Atapi, $51.00 Huddy, $21.00 Anden, $81.00 Navajo Code, $15.00 Matiri King, $26.00 See See Ryder, $4.00 Justa Tad, $6.50 Eloa, $61.00 Darkside Lass.