Conditions should favour Kawi
Taranaki galloper appears better placed under set weights to turn the tables on his rivals in Perth feature
Money speaks all languages on a racecourse.
Take Kawi ( No 4, R8). When the Kiwi topliner showed up for a race in Perth two weeks ago — one that wasn't impossible for him to win, but which didn't suit him — he went out at $ 21. And finished sixth.
For today's A$ 1 million Kingston Town Classic in Perth, Kawi is at $ 5 in early betting and is close to vying for favouritism.
That sixth was a much better effort than it sounds. At no stage of the run home could Michael Walker find clear air for the New Zealander and he finished just a couple of lengths from the winner.
However, luck aside, the biggest pointer to today i s the weight conditions.
Two weeks ago, in a handicap, Kawi was giving away huge amounts of weight to the main chances, but this time under the weight- for- age scale he meets the winner of that race, Scales Of Justice ( No 10), 2.5kg better. Second- placed Good Project ( No 1), trained by Chris Waller and ridden by Hugh Bowman, is 3.5kg worse off today and Perfect Reflection ( No 16), who finished third, is 1.5kg worse. Scales Of Justice will again be ridden by topflight Hong Kong jockey Douglas Whyte.
Perfect Reflection, ridden again by Perth's best William Pike, has come up as the $ 4 favourite.
Kawi has drawn perfectly at No 4 and the great byproduct of the race t wo weeks ago i s the Kawi did not have a gut- busting run in the extreme heat of Perth.
“He's done extremely well lately,” i s all you need to know from Allan Sharrock. The $ 5 each- way looks good value.
At Ellerslie this afternoon — another 3pm start — there is some good racing that will provide handy indications to the major summer meetings coming up.
One i s the $ 70,000 J. A. Russell Concorde, a lead- up to the major upcoming sprints. Red Striker ( No 8, R6) looks a great prospect with just 53kg.
She turned in a close fifth at Pukekohe recently, missing the jump and tearing home well to be a close fifth.
She has drawn awkwardly this time, but if she gets a reasonable passage, she will figure. Ryan Mark ( No 1) and Fire Jet ( No 10) are strong multiple chances.
Marciano ( No 6, R1) is stepping up to 2200m, but his latest races suggest that's a good move. He can find the line strongly and each- way he looks the go in the first. El Luchador ( No 9) is in the right form.
Night's Watch ( No 3, R2) has been impressive at the trials. He has got back in those early and has stormed home. He needs only to keep the others in touch to be difficult to hold out on debut. The small field will help. Doubtless Bay ( No 7) has to be considered.
Race 3 is not easy, but Chequered Flag ( No 9) deserves a winning turn.
Opie Bosson should be able to provide a sweet passage from the No 2 gate. Joe Cargo ( No 7) has looked very good coming from maidens with two straight victories.
Romancer ( No 5, R4) is a real upand- comer, but has been thrown a tough task here with the No 13 barrier at the 1300m. If he wins from out there he might be even better than he's shown in two starts.
There are a host of chances, among them Chambon ( No 9).
Symphonic ( No 2, R5) has also come up with a tricky gate, No 11, at the 2200m. If Mark Du Plessis can secure her a decent passage, she should go close to end her run of seconds.
Polar Secret ( No 9) has an even worse barrier, but if luck shine on her she can be in the call and Fiamette ( No 1), better drawn, rates highly.
Race 7, the Dunstan Feeds Rising Stars Championship Qualifier is well named — there are any number of improvers. Selfie ( No 7) i s one of them and so are All Torn Up ( No 4), Playboy Prince ( No 2), Serious Satire ( No 11) and Scarlet's Secret ( No 14). Tough race, but the trifecta and First4, should be value.
Bamurra ( No 6, R8) had no luck at all at Pukekohe last start.
He has drawn really well here and if he gets a late passage he could be finishing over the top of them. Cochise ( No 8) can run a big race fresh.
At Trentham, Mr Luigi looks the goods in the opener.
He had no luck at Ellerslie last week. ( No 3) Seraphim – Trentham ( R6). ( Endeavour – 1st). My Tommy – Waipukurau ( R8). ( I Am Poppy – scratched). Mr Luigi – Trentham ( R1). ( Indian Maid – scratched). The racing career of Penthouse Princess, the younger sister of the 2015 Melbourne Cup winner Prince Of Penzance, is over. Injuries restricted the daughter of Pentire to just two starts for Caulfield trainer Henry Dwyer, who was confident she could have measured up to city class. “Penthouse Princess is a lovely filly, but unfortunately she ran through a fence and she's had any number of issues since then,” he said. A tendon issue finally spelled the end of her racing days and she has been served by the 2014 New Zealand Horse of the Year It’s A Dundeel. Champion trotter Monbet could be sidelined for the rest of the season. The reigning Horse of the Year is set to undergo an operation for a bone chip discovered after he won both group one trots at the recent New Zealand Cup meeting. Trainer Greg Hope says the superstar trotter will definitely miss the summer features, including the Great Southern Star at Melton. But he could also miss his defence of the Anzac Cup and Rowe Cup in the autumn. The news, coupled with arch rival Speeding Spur missing the summer, leaves plenty of big money waiting for a trotter to emerge to dominate the weakened open class ranks. The advent of better tracks has seen Lance Noble’s yard strike winning form. In recent weeks, the Byerley Park trainer has been successful with Orphea, who runs in the Schneider Electric Mufhasa Stakes at Ellerslie today, Buy Me A Rock and Save The Date. “We're happy with the way the team has come up,” Noble said. “Like everyone, it's been a pretty testing spring with the wet tracks, but the horses all look well and are coming up nicely so we're looking forward to Christmas racing.” In the meantime, Noble will run Save The Date in the Eulogy Stakes next Saturday and she will be accompanied to Awapuni by Buy Me A Rock. Hall Of Fame and Heroic Valour have returned to the Matamata stable of Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards. The talented colts are both nominated for next year’s New Zealand Derby, but Te Akau racing manager Brad Taylor said their leadup programmes have yet to be confirmed. Hall Of Fame won the Zacinto Stakes during his last campaign before he was unplaced in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas, in which Heroic Valour finished third behind Ugo Foscolo. Illness has forced the withdrawal of the exciting filly I Am Poppy from Ellerslie today and has also put her short term group one prospects on hold. Part- owner and trainer Warren Bolton was forced to scratch the 3- year- old from the Mufhasa Stakes after she developed a cough during the week. I Am Poppy will be given a break and she will also now miss next month’s Telegraph at Trentham. Nigel Tiley will be lifting his sights with Excelleration in the wake of her easy debut victory on her home track. The Pukekohe Park trainer said he would be looking for black type options for the Exceed And Excel filly out of group one performer Abeautifulred after she thumped her rivals in Wednesday’s NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race. “She’s not that big so we don’t know if she’ll go on with it as a 3- year- old. We’ll be targeting some nice races now for her,” Tiley said. Excelleration was ridden by Kelly McCulloch and they cruised clear to win by four lengths. Stallion prospect Rageese has made a good recovery from injury and he will run in Saturday’s Festival Stakes at Rosehill today. Part- owned by Cambridge’s Windsor Park Stud, a setback forced him to miss the Railway Stakes in Perth. “He seems to be good, he had a few easy days after he had that little foot issue, but I'm really happy with him,” trainer Darren Weir said. Rageese’s next aim will be the Villiers Stakes at Randwick on December 17.