KEY POINTS:
Princess Coup confirmed her ranking as the runner to beat in the $2 million Kelt Capital Stakes when recording an easy victory in the feature Stoney Bridge Stakes at Hastings yesterday.
She was so dominant winning the $250,000 Group One Stoney Bridge it's hard to ignore her chances
of back-to-back Kelt victories, in two weeks' time.
Princess Coup was nowhere near peak fitness but produced a blistering sprint down the home stretch to win by 1 1/4 lengths over Nom du Jeu with a further three-quarters of a length back to Fritzy Boy (third).
Premier trainer Mark Walker knows what's needed to have Princess Coup at peak for the Kelt Capital Stakes and the 5-year-old will be ready to rumble again in the weight-for-age feature.
"I did think before the race that the mile may not be for her but she found the line well today and that's a good sign heading into the Kelt," Walker said. "Once Opie [Bosson] balanced her up and let her down at the 200 I knew we could win and she had them covered. Two weeks is a long time to sharpen up horses of this class and she'll be ready for the Kelt."
Bosson rode a brilliant tactical race allowing the mare to find her feet after a tardy start and saving ground improving through the field before hooking to the outside.
While all honours were with the winner it was hard to fault the performance of Nom du Jeu. The 4-year-old was second up after a lengthy spell and raced three wide throughout producing a gallant performance hitting the line in great style.
A step up in distance in the Kelt Stakes will only strengthen the win claims of the Murray and Bjorn Baker-trained runner.
Fritzy Boy lost few admirers trapped three wide at the start before sprinting forward to sit outside the leader and finished only two lengths behind the winner.
Ombre Rose again suffered traffic problems flashing home late to finish fourth. One runner to look out for was Run Like Al, who sprinted around the field to challenge quickly on the hometurn and faded late. A more patient ride could see a form reversal next time.
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David Walsh was not worried about covering plenty of extra ground with Ulysses Heart, a narrow but impressive winner of the Stella Artois Premier.
Ulysses Heart worked forward three wide from the 800m to stay in touch with the leaders and fought like a tiger in the home stretch gunning down the gallant pace setting Bataan by three-quarters of a length.
A further 1 1/4 lengths away third was Belfast Lad.
Ulysses Heart has had 26 starts for four wins and one minor placing. This victory was his first in three starts from the Levin stable of trainer Craig Ivil.
Hastings has been a happy hunting ground for Ulysses Heart scoring three wins and one minor placing from eight starts.
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John Wheeler may be struggling to get former age group star The Pooka back into winning form this season but he has found a readymade replacement in the form of 3-year-old filly Juice.
The Bertolini filly was all class winning the $75,000 Gold Trail Stakes by a half-length over Daffodil with a further three-quarters of a length back to Il Quello Veloce.
Juice has been patiently handled by Wheeler scoring three wins and three minor placings from seven starts. It will be interesting to watch this filly's development, particularly when stepping up to 1600m.
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Cambridge trainers Murray and Bjorn Baker have the sort of problem horsemen enjoy - what to do with an in-form stable runner.
Mountain Road took his career record to six wins and three minor placings from 15 starts when strolling to an easy victory in the hands of regular rider Michael Coleman.
The 4-year-old son of His Royal Highness scored by a length over Mickey with a further neck back to Danz Star, who gave jockey Cory Parish a difficult time, ducking outwards with a lap to run and over-racing when working around the field to settle outside the leader.
Mountain Road has been on an extended winter-spring campaign and the Baker stable has some tough decisions to make.
The father and son training partnership could press on and attack races like the Counties, Avondale and Waikato Cups.
The other option could be a brief break and return for an assault on events like the Wellington and Auckland Cups in January and March.
Great decisions to make when you have an athlete good enough under your care to contest events like that.