Racing: Winners rewarded as summer shifts gear

Black Panther's win at Ellerslie sees its Derby odds shorten from $40 to $16. Picture / Trish Dunell

Darci Brahma was yesterday withdrawn from the group one Telegraph Handicap at Trentham late next month and the TAB reacted by moving Keeninsky to $7 favourite.

There have been some interesting progressive moves in the TAB's futures market since the agency recently released its odds for the major summer races.

Last week's stylish Ellerslie winner Black Panther is one of the most notable. The TAB has shortened his Mercedes Derby odds from $40 into $16 and for the Great Northern Guineas on Boxing Day Black Panther went from $14 to $4.50.

Wednesday's Avondale Cup winner Creil is now $20 for the Auckland Cup, down from $60 and for the City Of Auckland Cup she is $12 from $50. Kerry O'Reilly is the Cup favourite at $6 after opening at $8.

Some of the bigger bets the TAB has fielded on the major races is $1000 at $10 against Black Panther in the Great Northern Guineas, $500 at $35 on Pretorius to win the City Of Auckland Cup on Boxing Day and $500 at $50 on Cool Talk in the same race.

The biggest Railway bets are $500 on Pin Up Boy at $25, $500 on Run Like The Wind at his new quote of $12 and $500 on Atapi at $18.

TAB head bookmaker Paul Lally said there has been a lot of specking in the Auckland Cup market for March on Pentane, an impressive minor race winner at Ellerslie last Saturday for Matamata trainer Lance O'Sullivan.

"Nothing in terms of one very large bet, but lots of bets like $100 at $80.

The TAB moved Pentane into $30 for the Auckland Cup after offering an opening quote of $80.

Class sprinter Devoted has shortened into $7.50 from $9 for the Railway at Ellerslie on January 1 despite being beaten out of a place in the Concored at Avondale on Wednesday.

The impressive Concorde winner Run Like The Wind is now on $12, in from $25.

The market for the Great Northern Guineas was framed well after the running of the 2000 Guineas at Riccarton, yet third-placed Crusoe has shortened into $8 from $12 for the Ellerslie event.

Crusoe is warm favourite to lift today's $70,000 SkyCity Avondale Guineas.