Last to first: Hope for filly in $1m race

The trainers of Karman Line find themselves in the unusual position of having the second favourite in a $1 million race who ran last at its previous start.

But that doesn’t mean Andrew Scott and Lance O’Sullivan have given up on winning Saturday’s $1m Karaka Classic Mile with the lightly-raced filly.

Karman Line holds the $10 second line of betting behind $1.80 hotpot On The Bubbles for Saturday’s second leg of the $1m double at Ellerslie, even though she dropped out to finish ninth of nine in the Eight Carat Classic on Boxing Day.

“She wasn’t just last, she was a bad last,” jokes Scott.

“We knew straight away that wasn’t the real her, and when we got her home and got her checked out, she had mucus in her airway and then we found an infection in her blood.

“So at least we know why she went so poorly that day and we’ve been able to work on it.

“She’s been treated, and galloped well on Saturday morning, and we’ll gallop her again [today] and expect her to have gone forward again.”

Barring any setbacks, Karman Line will be at Ellerslie and with the hood on to eke out further improvement, Scott says she is a realistic hope.

“She’s a good filly, there’s no doubt about that, so she deserves her crack, and I think this is the year to do it because there are no Probabeels or Aegons in the race like the last few years.

“Sure, it’s a quantum leap to win it but she’ll turn up and go very well.”

Scott’s comments sum up the lopsided composition of the Classic Mile field, as On The Bubbles is one of the few serious Group 1 horses in the race who is in form, although even he had a very off day at the Matamata trials last Wednesday.

There are plenty of talented 3-yearolds just behind Karman Line in the market and whether that promise can carry them to the ultimate prize may depend on barrier draws and whether On The Bubbles produces his best, which he usually does on raceday.

While they have a second favourite who ran last at her last start in Karman Line, the O’Sullivan-Scott stable have a last-start winner in Time Ruler who is rated 20-1 for the Karaka Million.

“He won his way in last Friday and is a better horse than his earlier form showed, so he will be there with bells on,” says Scott.

Craig Grylls will partner Karman Line, with Opie Bosson back from suspension to ride On The Bubbles.

Bosson’s mount of the five Jamie Richards-trained contenders for the Karaka Million will be confirmed this morning.

Bosson rode both Grace N Grey and Dynastic in public track gallops at Ellerslie yesterday as Auckland Thoroughbred Racing opened the track to horses racing at Saturday’s twilight meeting for some late familiarisation.

He will ride other stablemates this morning but has indicated a slight preference for Dynastic, maybe even more so as a long-term project, even though he was beaten fair and square by Grace N Grey at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

The draws for the two Karaka Million races will be announced live on radio at 11am tomorrow.