Racing: Mandela answers the questions

Trainer Richard Otto slept better last night than he has for six weeks.

Otto has long had a huge opinion of Mandela, but he had a question to answer: the 3-year-old had not faced the best of his age.

That changed at Ellerslie yesterday when Mandela exploded past many of the country's best 3-year-olds for a stunning win in the $70,000 Avondale Guineas.

"As good as you might think they are, they are not proven until they take on the best," said a delighted Otto.

Mandela showed he is going to be very difficult to beat in the $500,000 Mercedes Derby on Boxing Day.

The length of his stride when Gary Grylls cut him loose in the home straight was massive and, if you were the owners of the other Derby runners, frightening.

The TAB bookies were clearly impressed, Mandela shortening into Derby favouritism, although only until Cheval De Troy's incredible win in the Bonecrusher Classic later in the day.

"He's a very, very good horse," said Otto. "I was very confident today - his work leading up to the postponed race last week had been absolutely sensational."

Mandela does not carry spare condition. Otto describes him as physically delicate and a relatively hard race like yesterday's can have a detrimental effect.

"Fortunately he's 15kg heavier than when he first started racing, so he's heading in the right direction.

"I hate to think what he'll be like in 12 months' time when he really bulks up."

Otto said he would have preferred the Avondale Guineas to have been run last weekend to allow a three- week gap to the Derby.

"But I'm sure he'll be okay."

Gary Grylls was impressed.

"I had to hunt him up to get a handy spot early and it was his first time in blinkers, so he had every excuse to get pulling, but he raced kindly the whole way."

A Derby win for Mandela would erase the nightmare memories for Grylls, originating from when he had the choice between Leica Guv and Athens and went for Athens.

"I haven't won a Derby, but I should have."

Classy filly That's Tops charged home through the middle for an impressive second, pleasing trainer Mark Walker and Australian jockey Rhys McLeod.

"She's going to be a lot better when they put the rail back into the true position for the Derby," said Walker.

"She got held up a bit behind them on that narrow track."

Vinny Colgan was equally pleased with the strong finish from third-placed Matiri King, having his first start from Lance O'Sullivan's stable.

"Sista took us to the outside fence early. He picked up nicely on the home turn and never stopped getting to the line.

"He had a bit of a blow as well, so it was a very good run."

Sista started one of the favourites and did herself no favours when she charged the front of her gate, smashing her mouth on the metal.

She returned with a lot of blood in her mouth, but rider Thomas Russell was not prepared to say the incident affected the filly's chances.

Sista was under pressure on the home bend after enjoying a reasonably good run and put serious doubts in the mind of her co-trainer Graham Richardson about pressing forward to the Derby.

"There is a real question mark and I'll make up my mind tomorrow."

Eric Watson had no joy in watching his runner, Stand Tall. The problem colt refused to gallop early and rider Noel Harris pulled him up after just 400m.