Racing: Heavy Trentham no worry for Keyora

John Wheeler says he is not worried about class act Keyora handling Trentham's heavy track conditions for tomorrow's $85,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Wellington Guineas.

What the New Plymouth trainer is concerned about is how hard Keyora has to work to be competitive.

The Trentham footing will be very heavy - it was rated at 11 yesterday with showers around.

There are more than a few trainers disappointed the Wellington Racing Club did not take an option to transfer such an important meeting to better conditions like the Hastings track.

Any number of 3-year-olds are looking for a lead-up to the $1 million New Zealand 2000 Guineas at Riccarton next month and many of them are absent because their trainers believe a tough race under tomorrow's conditions could bring them undone for Riccarton.

John Wheeler is going to take a chance on that and run, but he is concerned.

"I'm not too worried about him handling the footing, but I don't want him to have to grind to do it with the big race coming up at Riccarton," said Wheeler about Keyora.

"He's raced on slow tracks and handled them."

Keyora has had two starts on the slow for a win and a placing, but he will not have seen raceday footing like he will strike tomorrow.

He was super-impressive the way he finished off from the back last start to win the Hawkes Bay Guineas, even allowing the fast pace was always going to suit the tailenders.

Descarado suffered his first defeat in three starts when narrowly beaten as favourite at Riccarton last start, but it may not pay to take too much notice of that. He went from the centre of the track to the inside rail in the home straight, either through greenness, or because he was not quite right on the day. He simply bolted in running straight at New Plymouth the start before and looks a High Chaparral 3-year-old of excellent talent.

Cambridge trainer Shaune Ritchie has Military Move and Bear Heart engaged.

He rates the inexperienced Military Move as the better of the pair, but has always been nervous about his ability to handle rain-affected footing.

"To be fair to him he handled the slow track at Ellerslie in stakes class last start [when second] a lot better than I thought he would.

"What will help him a bit is the fact that there will be little traffic over the track before the Guineas because they are small fields and two of the prior five races are down the chute."

Ritchie sees the exercise as preparing for Riccarton.

"Before Magic Cape won the Guineas a couple of years ago I took him down south and worked him on the beach in the South Island at Michael Stokes' place and he thrived.

"I've sent these two horses down to work at Foxton Beach this week, which is important for a horse that hasn't had much racing or travelling."

Justanexcuse was not disgraced when less than five lengths from Keyora when resuming from a spell in the Hawkes Bay Guineas.

He will be improved for that and can handle wet tracks.

The nine-horse field for the $70,000 Cuddle Stakes also looks to have suffered because of the perception of a very heavy track.

If you're an old dog for a hard road theorist, you won't want to be on anything but O'Ceirins Angel and Yanna Marie to take out what will be a battle of attrition.

O'Ceirins Angel beat a better field at Hawera last start and has course stats of seven starts for three wins and four placings.

Yanna Marie is little inferior, but her latest runs have been a touch below her best after some fairly tough racing.

She was six lengths off O'Ceirins Angel at Hawera in fifth place, but still has to rate a chance here.

The one they probably both have to beat is rapid improver Keeperinthemyst, winner of two of her three starts since being purchased by the father and son training partnership of Keith and Brendan Hawtin.

Keeperinthemyst can manage heavy footing and runs her races out strongly, two very valuable assets at Trentham tomorrow.