Danielle Johnson rides Avantage to an easy win in the $225,000 Manawatu Sires Produce on Saturday. Photo / Race Images
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.
For that read Avantage and for Avantage read muscle content. The dashing winner of Saturday's $225,000 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes is not big - 15.2h on a good day - but she is strong, Very strong. She has muscles in her ears.
And late on Saturday weren't those muscles pumping. The filly paid $3.80, but turning into the home straight you'd have been happy with $1.50. You could almost hear Danielle Johnson chuckling. It was simply a matter of letting go the tension on the reins and there was that much gas in the tank, the timing of that wasn't going to matter. She won by two lengths but it could have been more.
Which leads to the next decision - what now for a filly right at the top of her form. There is the back end of the Sydney carnival and then there is Queensland in the winter. Problem being the main aim will be the 2000 and 1000 Guineas in the spring and is there time to encompass anything else when Avantage is so deep into her campaign.
"She has been up and running since winning in Christchurch in September," says co-trainer Stephen Autridge. "She has to have a break sometime and probably soon. But nothing has been decided yet." Autridge returns to work today after having a few days off following the passing last week of his mother Gloria, a Matamata icon. "We will be discussing things in the next few days." To be considered is the late Bill Sanders mantra: never spell a female thoroughbred at the top of their form - keep going, even though horses were tougher three decades back.
Also that Avantage deserves a decent break after achieving so much, Karaka Million and Sires Produce glory.
Avantage's price shortened in when it became obvious after the first half of the programme that the inside part of the track was more affected by midweek rain than the middle lanes and that stablemate Sword Of Osman was probably not going to manage well.
Troy Harris replaced Opie Bosson, who could not make the weight, and came back in and said the youngster needs better ground. Melt found her form again after being hampered by the very firm Ellerslie surface in the Sistema. She finished strongly into second, but never threatened the winner.
• There is no doubt jockeys become accustomed to riding with parallel ability to those they ride against.
Take Michael Dee. He has gone up two levels since he moved from the lower North Island to Melbourne to ride for Mick Price. The class of Damian Oliver, Craig Williams, Dwayne Dunn and the like that Dee has been riding against has been a huge factor and Price himself would have been adding his sage advice.
Price was not afraid to trust Dee with the Group 1 task on Hiyaam in the A$500,000 Vinery at Rosehill on Saturday and was rewarded with a 10 out of 10 ride.
Dee decided to lead and rated the New Zealand-bred High Chaparral filly so well in front nothing came up to eyeball the pair and they won untested. She will be difficult to beat in the Oaks on that run, so powerful was she through the line.
Dee is only one of a group of New Zealand jockeys that have improved their riding by re-locating to Australia. Damien Browne, Daniel Stackhouse, Jarrod Fry, Bridget Grylls and many more ride winners week after week in Australia.
• The Baker/Forsman team will have four runners in Saturday's A$2 million Australian Derby to try to further its already remarkable record in the classic.
Weather With You and Mongolian Marshal, third and fourth in Saturday's Tulloch Stakes, will be joined by Vin De Dance and Mission Hill. Weather With You was huge. As usual he missed the start just fractionally and Jason Collett cleverly used the entire 350m run to the first bend at Rosehill to take up the running.
For a horse who Murray Baker says is one race behind in his Derby preparation, Weather With You fought back strongly when headed in the home straight and was beaten only a head and a neck.
"Jason thought it was a hell of run," said Baker. Mongolian Marshal looked to have every chance, battling into fourth after trailing the speed on the rail, but did almost exactly what Baker suspected. "He hadn't raced for a month and we knew he'd probably be a bit vulnerable late. He'll improve with that." Jason Collett and Craig Williams retain the ride on Saturday's pair, Jason Waddell will be re-united with Vin De Dance after suspension and Damian Lane will be back on Mission Hill.
Vodafone Derby placegetter Danzdanzdance (Michael Walker) faded after sitting outside the lead in the Vinery after breaking out in a heavy sweat behind the barriers.
"Michael came in and said she simply wouldn't settle when there was no pace on. She pulled hard and there was no way she could have finished it off," said trainer Chris Gibbs.
He said the team would press on towards the Australian Oaks, the run depending on how the filly recovers from this latest run.