Our expert Ellerslie tips and preview this Saturday are headlined by the prestigious Group One Otaki-Maori WFA Classic, which complements an already outstanding card for Avondale Cup and Guineas Day.
Unsurprisingly, the track is rated a Good4 at publish, with the rail out 5m from the true position. The forecast is clear in Auckland, which will see the track rated a Good4 for the duration of racing on Saturday.
Lucy In The Sky (9) debuts here off a smart trial win, where she won with considerable ease in very good time.
This didn’t look the strongest 2yo race for mine and I thought she looked a great bet at the $3.00 mark.
Expect her to start significantly shorter and take all sorts of beating on debut.
2 Units – Lucy In The Sky (9)
Glamour Tycoon (3) comes into this on the back of an impressive all-the-way win last start at Tauranga.
I thought she mapped to find the lead again here from the low draw, where her key rival in the race, Tomodachi, will likely be giving her a good start in a moderately run race.
She looks the bet of the day for mine.
3 Units – Glamour Tycoon (3)
Our Time (1) was very strong late in a genuinely run 1600m contest at Te Rapa last start, we he was back and wide with cover throughout.
While I expect he will get well back in proceedings from the wide draw, there does look to be good early pressure in the race to help bring the backmarkers into the race late.
If he can get the right run blending into the race before the turn, I expect he will prove hard to beat in this field.
1 Unit Our Time (1)
Tanganyika’s first 100m may decide whether he is a winning chance in this race for mine.
With the likely leaders drawn directly underneath and outside of him, he maps to find a spot handy to the speed with cover if ridden positively in the early stages.
His better figures suggest he would prove awfully hard to beat with the right run.
1 Unit Tanganyika (4)
Willydoit has stamped himself as the most exciting 3yo staying prospect in NZ this year.
His last start win here over a mile rated exceptionally well against the older horses and he looks extremely hard to beat getting out over a trip for the first time.
Expect to see him allowed to find his feet early from the wide draw, settle in a rhythm, before launching down the outer late in proceedings.
2 Units Willydoit (1)
Beavertown Boy looked was last sighted on raceday running on well late over 3200m in the Wellington Cup.
He has won a trial very impressively since and I don’t view the drop back in trip from 3200m to 2400m as a concern.
The 2400m start point at Ellerslie is as fair as it gets and it should give Daniel Moor plenty of time to assess his options and find a spot with cover before the first bend.
Happy to speculate on him at the longer price.
1 Unit Beavertown Boy (5)
Konasana was brilliant in her first run on NZ soil, where she came from last to win after getting squeezed out the back early.
Her recent trial since her last start win was excellent.
At the $5/$1.75 mark, I thought she was clearly the bet in the race over others at top of the market in early markets.
1 Unit Konasana (8)
Sethito comes into this race 8 weeks between runs, having last been sighted finishing a close 2nd in a Gr.2 on Boxing Day.
I have her either leading or outside leader in a race that doesn’t look to have an abundance of early pressure, with many of these looking to keep their powder dry ahead of the NZB Kiwi in 2 week’s time.
She’s a talented filly who will prove very hard to catch if ridden with positive intent in the early stages.
1 Unit Sethito (6)