KEY POINTS:
Jasminka will earn herself a definite trip to Sydney to race is she runs in the first three in tomorrow's $55,000 Stars Sports Tours Ryder Stakes.
The Cambridge filly is owned in Sydney and Cambridge trainer Shaune Ritchie is relying only on a placed effort tomorrow to whisk
her to some big money across the Tasman.
"I think she will be competitive over there if the Sydney tracks stay wet for the early part of the new season like they can.
"On wet ground the late winter fillies races of the early season would be ideal for her.
"I don't think she's be up to the best fillies in Sydney on good ground, but the way the tracks are at the moment she'll be suited."
Retired Croatian-born businessman Jack Beram had horses with Shaune Ritchie when he trained in Sydney.
"When I left I recommended Jack send his horses to Chris Waller. Jack's good mates with some of the Australian Socceroos, who now have some good horses with Chris.
Ritchie has a good measuring stick for the ability of Jasminka to match up in Sydney.
"I trialled up a filly here, Jack's Girl, for Jack and sent it over to Chris Waller and said it would win in town in Sydney.
"It's won seven over there and this filly is better than her."
Jasminka came from a fair way off the speed to win at Ellerslie in early June and at her only other start finished a close third to the likely favourite here, Pocket Diary, in the Breeders Stakes at Ruakaka.
"It was seven weeks between runs and it might have been just a little too long," said Ritchie. "And she was never going to win from the draw."
Jasminka, from the outside gate, settled back, made a big run wide and was just beaten.
She once again has the job to beat Pocket Diary, who does well to come in at level weights as a two-race winner. Both his winning performances at Te Rapa and Ruakaka have been characterised by sheer grit late in the piece and this is likely to again he that sort of race.
Pocket Diary will have his third rider change in as many starts. Jason Waddell won on him at Te Rapa, Michael Coleman was aboard at Ruakaka and he will be handled this time by Hayden Tinsley.
RYDER STAKES MEETING SHIFTED
Tomorrow's Ryder Stakes meeting has been transferred from Otaki to Foxton.
Chief stipendiary steward Cameron George said with Otaki still waterlogged yesterday morning the decision to switch venues gave the meeting a far greater chance of proceeding.
"Foxton is a much better draining course."
The serious issue was that safety numbers at Foxton are less than at Otaki and some fields will need to be re-drawn.
Those issues were being worked through last night.