New Year's Day at Ellerslie

Track a good 2 and rail out 2.5 from Boxing Day

Race 2: F & F R90 1400. Tidy enough win by the Lohnro filly Tampiko fresh to the carnival coming off a R70 win at Tauranga where so showed good acceleration to beat the promising Shigeru. Looked a useful enough filly at three running 10 of 16 in the Eight Carat and was only having her 2nd run in a new campaign whereas some of the others had done some racing including She Rules who ran up to win but died on her run. She Rules has been up since the autumn and may have had enough. The Lohnro stock seem to be improving with age which is a good sign for the stallions career. Gee Scarlet Vanhara is another fine e.g of the good quality of mare Van Nistelrooy can leave. She is racing now like she s looking for 2000m.

Race 3: Eclipse Stakes 1200m. . Cellarmaster has his dad's great head and still has some growing to do so given what he's doing at two he should make a lovely three-year-old. Banchee is so much like her half sister in demeanour and type. In fact she maybe even more relaxed. While the two Walker runners by General Nediym don't look to me to have the scope to go on beyond this season I wouldn't discount them in the Karaka Million. Do the C.D babies have the wood on their Northern counterparts ? While I'm not convinced about the form from this race, Cellarmaster and Banchee are clearly 2 to follow and I would be checking to see what odds I could get for Banchee come Karaka Million time. Condescender - 4th - is getting better with experience but the fact that he was coming off a soft third on Boxing Day, gives more me reason to treat the form from this race wearily.

Race 4: R70 1600. Jena The Guru's win further franks the form from Corporal Jones win here at the twilight meeting; Tahana Strike has also since won. Monzieur Bond may have felt the ground. Apparently he is not the soundest of animals and was bandaged in front. He looked to run in slightly in the home straight. I thought the blinkers would work the oracle for So Pristine but she still seemed reluctant to strect out in traffic. She strikes me as one of those Zabeel's that needs space from other horses to let down so I have not put a line through her yet.

Race 5: Dunstan Stayers Final 2200. Drawing wide over 2200m is not the death sentence that it is at 2100 or certainly 2000m, at Ellerslie and Seaflyte had the form in R80 and 90 grades. He's one of those horses who races like he looks - rangy and tough, probably the Grosvenor factor. Heza Karma Karzi got found out by the strong tempo I suspect. Montetra was a great ride and needs moisture. The winner and runner up are clearly the two to follow but Montgomery is a lightly raced type worth keeping an eye on.

Race 6: Royal Stakes 2000m. A slow pace typical often of this race made it difficult for the staying type of fillies. Veronica Franco simply couldn't sprint with the other two. I thought Via Vento was in the same boat and by Cape Cross from a Sadlers Wells mare and a big type she has some scope and could be competitive at the Oaks distances. Is there a more successful purchaser of cheap horses than Trevor McKee? She's a nice cut of a filly too, typical of the family, not too long but with a good depth girth. First season sire Court of Jewels must have put a lot of people off but he was a handy Danehill sprinter from a Sir Tristram daughter of Eight Carat. La Collina is another attractive type of filly by Van Nisttlerooy. A bit finer than some of the Van fillies, her mother by O'Reilly - who is not the most attractive of mares herself - maybe responsible for passing on that lighter bone. Overall a race that panned out as most suspected, a slow tempo suited the class fillies with the stakes form at the shorter trips and the fillies stepping up from maidens and R70 could not use their staying potential to their advantage.

Race 7: Rich Hill Mile. Watch this replay more than once. A lot of form will come from it. I had been waiting for La Etoile to strike a firm track at a mile. The wide draw almost put me off but I'm glad I stuck with her. Sure she was always going to need luck but there was enough pace in the race. Huge run from Irish Opera who seems to save his best races for Ellerslie and he paraded probably superior to anything else on the whole card. Capacia, Dancing Jess and Casabella Lane were other particularly good runs but there were others. Even Santangelo went a nice race although her preliminary was poor and I didn't think she looked as well as she did in Christchurch. Maybe she s an autumn mare.

Race 8: Railway. Race was gifted to A Gold Trail which must rub salt into the wounds of the conections of Atapi. He's quite a typical Hussonet, strong and carries a lot of condition, although he maybe more short coupled than some of his stock. John Sargent had done a great job with Kiloton and his preliminary was most impressive. Snipza Gold got home nicely and looks a horse to follow at Trentham. I was a little surprised at the tactic s of Richard Beymer to be ridden off the speed as I couldn't see he had the finishing speed to win the race. Beautiful Girl had every chance and probably just lacked the class. She's a nice strong mare particularly through the girth and hindquarters. It's good to see that Round the World family throw up another nice horse because it has been quiet for quite some time.

Race 9: City of Auckland Cup. Another bouquet to John Sargent for getting Red Ruler back into winning form. I still recall that day he won the Championship Stakes at Ellerslie in the summer of his 3 year-old-year. The turn of foot he showed that day marked him down as a rare thoroughbred and while he still has to recapture quite that form it was good to see him back in the winners stall. Sterling Prince paraded fresh and raced accordingly. That's the tightrope trainers walk with horses I guess. He'd come back from Oz after 3 hard runs on successive weekends and all good horse husbandry tells you to freshen the horse up. The CD form held up in this race again with Fazza and Manonamission running 2/3. In a compressed handicap none of the lightweights were able to make the class jump which was compounded by the hard track and genuine pace. Calatrava gave me the impression in the parade ring that she did not back up from Boxing Day where shed looked magnificent. Fazza is an interesting type. He's almost a throwback I imagine to the stayers of the 50's and 60's, rangy, tough, plain looking and a tad ribby. Jeff Lynds horses often don't carry a lot of condition but it doesn't seem to do them any harm. I love the way Fazza just drops the bit in his races and switches off. He may have been more at home if the Wellington Cup was still at 3200 so I'm not sure the $8 is value at Tretham but I think he is the horse to start looking at for a big race up here on the 10 March.

Race 10: Spec Conditions Maiden 1400m. A comfortable win for a horse I've always liked(take a look at my Summer Six posting back a couple). She's lightened off a little so Richard Collet may have to take things easy with her this season but he's got great patience and is her perfect mentor. From that wonderful Georgetti family, the second horse Palatine will end up a nice horse also. He's a good type of Shinko King, not as long as some but typically still a bit weak. He went up as if he'd win at the 200m but just died on his run. Again he's another in just the right yard to let him find his potential. Not sure what to make of Affirmation. His coat looked a little dull although it's never easy to tell with greys. Being a stallion I wonder if he switched off when caught on the inside of horses. I've taken notes.

Probably now the best day for the racing pursit on our calendar.