Racing: Bostonian on track for Railway upset

Bostonian winning at Pukekohe in November. Photo / Trish Dunell

It is advantage Bostonian in the countdown to one of the races of the season at Ellerslie on Tuesday.

The market for the $200,000 Sistema Railway was turned upside down today when second favourite Bostonian drew perfectly at barrier five but just as importantly glamour mares Melody Belle and Volpe Veloce drew the two extreme outside barriers.

By no means is the group one 1200m over simply because of the draws but Bostonian will now deserve to edge close to favouritism while long-term favourite Melody Belle faces one of the biggest tests of her career.

She is unbeaten this season and has thrilled Te Akau with her recent track gallops but the wide barrier draws can be killers in sprint races at Ellerslie and that is made even more tricky by the enormous amount of speed drawn inside her.

"We will have to put our thinking caps on," said John Galvin, syndicate manager for Melody Belle.

Which could be code for: what the hell are we going to do now?

While Melody Belle might spend Tuesday afternoon seeing plenty of Ellerslie, Bostonian's trainer Tony Pike was cautiously confident after Bostonian got the draw he wanted.

"You never really know with draws but it looks ideal," said Pike.

"From there he should be able to settle one off not far from the speed, which looks likely to be fast.

"And that will suit us because he is probably really a true 1400m horse so a hard run 1200m is his thing. And that might make it hard for those drawn out wide too."

Pike admits in the battle of the flying four-year-olds, Melody Belle would deserve top billing all things being equal.

"Her form is group one form and if the two of them were drawn alongside each other then she would clearly deserve to be favourite.

"But I think we get our chance now."

Raceday rider Vinny Colgan galloped Bostonian on the Cambridge course proper on Tuesday and both he and Pike believe he is spot on.

"He races best fresh and the timing for this race has been ideal," explains Pike. "He won at Counties five weeks ago and has had a good gallop at Te Rapa since and went up to Ellerslie last week to gallop on the course proper.

"So he is exactly where we want him to be although this does look a very good Railway field."

Pike is just as thrilled with barrier five for Whiskey Neat in the $70,000 Barneswood Farms Eclipse Stakes, the feature juvenile race of the carnival. A stunning 10-length winner on debut, Whiskey Neat was allowed to skip Boxing Day because of the heavy track but has drawn inside key rivals Aotea Lad (8) and Exuberant (7) in the 1200m dash which shapes as a crucial form lead-up to the Karaka Million on January 26.

"I didn't want him to draw one or two just in case he was half a length slow and he got back on the inside but from out there he could even sit just off them," says Pike.

Pike's team has found form now the mostly drier summer tracks are here and he quietly rates Surely Sacred a danger in Tuesday's $100,000 Jamieson Park Auckland Guineas, which barring the in-form More Wonder is made up of mainly one race winners.

"He was huge last time when second in the Bonecrusher and has come on well since and while he might have to settle back a bit I really like him going forward."

After the heavy track for Boxing Day track manager Jason Fulford has moved the rail out three metres for Tuesday and if the weather holds as predicted Ellerslie should be perfect for one of the biggest day of the season.

Meanwhile Pike predicts his strong recent run can continue at Matamata tomorrow.

"We have got four in and I think they all have at least each way chances," he said.