Racing: Heavy rain casts Mucho gloom over chances

By JAMES GRAHAM

Talking to Murray Baker in heavy rain at the Te Aroha trials yesterday was the wrong time to get inspired by Mucho's Matamata hopes.

Baker, like most of the trainers with runners in the Fairview Ford Slipper, was praying the soaking Waikato got yesterday will be long gone before 3.13pm tomorrow.

"I've been happy with his work but I really don't know how he goes in the wet," said Baker.

The best pointer Baker had of upsetting hotpot Alinsky if the track deteriorates beyond easy was Mucho's luckless sixth to Queenza at Te Rapa two starts back.

The surface was cutting out that day but the Cambridge gelding finished hard up against the rail full of running with nowhere to go.

Mucho's next-up effort in winning at Ellerslie over 1100m on December 28 underscored how unlucky he was at Te Rapa.

The Danske speedster was held up badly in the straight that day but still had the strength and acceleration to burst clear.

Baker freshened Mucho after that breakthrough effort with a view to tomorrow's test and the Sires Produce races in the autumn.

"He's a promising horse," said Baker. "I wouldn't say he's a natural two-year-old but he's well developed and got a bit of strength about him."

Grant Cooksley takes over the reins from Andrew Calder who is committed to the Chris McNab trained Baja.

If the rain does turn the Matamata track to soft or worse Baker at least knows stablemate Majestic Sweep should cope with the conditions in the Matamata Breeders Stakes.

Majestic Sweep got back from a wide alley in the Mercedes Super Bonus Classique at Te Rapa but ran home strongly on the soft track for sixth place.

The End Sweep filly has drawn wide again tomorrow - she doesn't know what a rail looks like - but that shouldn't be a factor if the rain continues.

Co-trainer Stephen Autridge is confident that last-start winner Keeninsky won't mind a rain-affected surface for the Fairview Ford Slipper.

Keeninsky caused a huge boilover in winning first-up at Trentham on an easy surface on January 24. But that effort didn't surprise Autridge after the Stravinsky colt's efforts at the trials.

"He won his first trial then ran third in his next after bolting once around the track. If he does everything right again on Saturday he'll be right there again."

Rival trainer Paul O'Sullivan rates Bez Bazara over stablemate Cleveland just on experience alone.

But he doesn't back their chances of beating warm favourite Alinsky or handling a rain-affected track.

Alinsky's Eclipse Stakes win at Ellerslie on January 2 makes the Alan Jones and Brett McDonald trained gelding the obvious.

Jones felt the Stravinsky gelding was a run short that day but he still had too much class for Florilegium, one of the favourites in the Matamata Breeders Stakes tomorrow.

Alinksy also has winning form on soft going.

The TABs fixed odds: Alinsky $2.75; Mucho $5; Keeninsky $9; Shastri $10; Lotzatow, Baja $11; Bez Bazara, Hotspurs $12; Cleveland, Stradivarious $20; Wheresdad $30.