Racing: Forget Zabeel form for Thorndon Mile

Survived will appreciate racing at Trentham tomorrow.Picture / APN

Brave Centaur might be the secret to turning the disastrous Zabeel Classic form around in tomorrow's $200,000 Harcourts Thorndon Mile.

Survived and Zurella finished eighth and ninth in the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, victims as much as anything of an extremely slow pace and a sprint home.

Both were left flat-footed when the sprint went on in the home straight and it was left to the leader, Historian, to win the group one prize that day.

Brave Centaur, missing from the Zabeel, looks the obvious pacemaker tomorrow and that should see an improvement in the efforts of Survived and Zurella.

The TAB has placed its faith in Zurella, opening her up at $5.50 at the crowded top of the betting chart.

Sacred Star is at $6 and his stablemate Chintz is close behind at $6.50. Survived is on $8 and Jubilate $9.

Neither John Barry (Survived) nor Zurella's trainer Shaune Ritchie are concerned about their horses dropping back from 2000m to 1600m.

Both believe that will be offset by the big, roomy Trentham track and the fact that the Thorndon is almost always run at a fast clip.

Ritchie tends to agree with the TAB on Zurella's pricing.

"This is easily the best-placed race she's been in for a fair while.

"As far as a lead-up to this race, I'm not greatly concerned about where she finished in the Zabeel because it was set up for an on-pace horse, her record at Ellerslie is terrible and also it's not great on any right-handed track.

"Racing left-handed on a big, roomy track with a month between races is exactly where her form lies. Even if she brings her B-plus, rather than her A game to Trentham, she's going to be hard to beat with just 53.5kg on her back."

Although co-trainer Tony Pike was not greatly concerned about the rain-affected track for Sacred Star in the Rich Hill Mile it may have made a fraction of a difference.

She finished only 2.5 lengths away in fifth place behind stablemate Chintz and is likely to be better off racing left-handed on this track.

He has drawn nicely, is comfortable taking a sit somewhere close to the speed and can finish off.

Brave Centaur is no mean chance even though he has climbed towards the top of the handicap. He's a strapping type, though, and the 57kg does not put him totally out of contention.

Jubilate remains under-rated. Trainer Graham Richardson had not wanted him in front in the 1600m Rich Hill at Ellerslie, but nothing else wanted the speed and Noel Harris let him bowl.

If he gets a more favourable trail from his No 4 draw he should be able to produce a terrific sprint.