Racing: Draw an ace up the sleeve

By MICHAEL GUERIN

Neil Brady has spent this week making plans that should severely worry Elect To Live's rivals in tonight's $100,000 Fillies Final at Addington.

The champion filly is hot favourite to complete a rare fillies' Triple Crown in tonight's 1950m group-one sprint, even after drawing the potentially tricky ace draw.

Although Elect To Live is possibly New Zealand's greatest staying filly ever, she is not known for her gate speed and some punters will be willing to bet against her tonight on the chance that she will get beaten out of the gate and locked away.

But Brady, her trainer-driver, says that is not a concern.

"I think she will hold the lead. In fact, I am not worried about her being crossed at the start at all," he said.

"If she is crossed I will be looking to come straight off the markers but really, I don't think it is something I will have to worry about."

Elect To Live has shown more gate speed in the second half of this season, possibly having been sharpened by her two Australian campaigns, where gate speed is more important.

"That helps but what really helps is the track," said Brady.

"The 1950m starting point gives them a fair run at the start and I think we can hold them."

If Elect To Live leads it is hard to see her having any mid-race challengers and therefore hard to see her being beaten.

And it isn't just Brady's plans to lead that should worry his rivals tonight.

The other plan Brady has been working on this week is how to get his flying filly from Christchurch tonight to Sydney for next Friday's New South Wales Derby.

That will be Elect To LIve's fifth race in as many weeks, but Brady said that he had to make the trip because of the way his stable star worked on Wednesday.

"She worked the best she has for some time. In fact, she worked so good I really have to take her to Sydney now."

Brady would not reveal the exact times from Wednesday's workout, but if Elect To Live was good enough to convince him to take her back to Australia, that spells bad news for her rivals tonight.

Although the Pakiri Beach filly is chasing her 20th win, there is still some confidence among her rivals they can beat her.

And none more so than champion trainer Mark Purdon, who has Angela Jane in tonight's feature.

The normally reserved horseman said the only reason Elect To Live might beat his filly was the draw.

"I am sure we would beat her if we were drawn to sit on her back," said Purdon in a staggering display of confidence.

"This filly is very good, a lot better than people realise, and she has been the unluckiest horse in my team this season.

"She has had bad draws in all the big races but has gone as well as any of the good fillies. The way she worked on Wednesday she will be a lot better than she was last Friday and if I had drawn well I would be very confident."

Purdon was disappointed to learn on Wednesday that Angela Jane will start from the outside of the front line, after thinking his filly had been drawn on Elect To Live's back.

The confusion arose because tonight's race is restricted to 13 starters, which would usually suggest an eight-five starting configuration.

But that is not the case and, with the emergencies out, Angela Jane will start from barrier seven, which will be the outside of the front line. That gives Oaxaca Lass the coveted position on Elect To Live's back.

"From our wide barrier we will need a lot of luck but she [Angela Jane] has great speed and I still think we can win," said Purdon.

Although Oaxaca Lass is drawn to get the perfect run, she was terrible in the Oaks. A better each-way bet may be Hot Shoe Shuffle, who was the unlucky horse in the Oaks when she never got a cart into the race and came from last at the 400m to run fifth.