Mark Walker should know by 4pm today whether his hot favourite for
tomorrow's $100,000 Avondale Guineas, Tell A Tale, will be passed to start.
Tell A Tale had two stitches in a leg above the knee when he cut himself
on Wednesday and a veterinary examination today shoulddetermine
whether the horse can take his place in tomorrow's feature.
"I advised the stewards as soon as it happened," Walker told OnForm
yesterday.
The trainer added he was delighted to see the stitches held when the
3-year-old was worked at Matamata yesterday morning.
"He didn't gallop, but he was never going to.
"He's a very clean-winded horse and he didn't require anything hard."
If he is passed fit to run, Tell A Tale is the obvious horse for tomorrow's big race.
He surprised a few winning the Hawkes Bay Guineas, but there was no
suggestion of a fluke when he overcame difficulties to storm home and win the $1 million 2000 Guineas at Riccarton last start.
With the possible exception of Takeanotherchance, Tell A Tale stands out above the opposition tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Walker received a thrill when he provided Michael Walker
with his comeback win from serious head injury at Matamata yesterday.
On Lohnro filly Santangelo, who was making her debut, Walker took the lead after 220m and the heavily-backed filly went clear and held on to
beat her faster-finishing stablemate Absinthe.
After such a long absence, Walker was clearly delighted, particularly
because Santangelo is raced by his sponsors Peter and Philip Vela.
The filly looks to have a bright future.
"That was a good effort, given she was wide for a good part early," said Mark Walker. "She'll be a better filly in the autumn, she's quite big [in condition] and she'll get better.
"I think she'll prove up to running in some nice races, but whether they'll be at Auckland, Wellington or Brisbane I don't know yet."
Michael Walker took only two rides to return to winning form.
Last season's jockeys' premiership winner suffered serious head
injuries when he fell down a bluff while carrying a pig in May.
