Racing: Mare confirms crack at Telegraph

Kelly Myers and Trepidation cruised home at Ellerslie yesterday. Photo / Trish Dunell

Trepidation laid a ghost to rest when she made a scintillating return to racing at Ellerslie and in the process confirmed a trip away for a crack at a Group One sprinting feature.

The 5-year-old blitzed a small but tidy field in yesterday's Rating 85 Stella Artois 1200 in her first appearance since a nightmare experience at Hastings in the spring when she was severely checked and was lucky to stay on her feet.

She nearly went over the fence and was sore in the hip after she rode the rail for three or four strides, said Paul Shailer, who prepares the Falkirk mare with his brother Kris.

This was a bit of a test to see whether she would come back and she has. She showed a great turn of foot and was super impressive. Hopefully that will get her enough points to sneak into the Telegraph.

Trepidation has already showed a fondness for the Wellington course having won a Rating 75 event on the course this year and she was also runner-up in the Listed Lightning Handicap.

She loves the straight there so hopefully we're heading for the Telegraph in great shape, Shailer said.

Any pre-race concern the race wouldn't be run at a decent clip were quickly dispelled with Alvesta setting a good speed. Trepidation travelled well three back on the fence before Kelly Myers angled her away from the rail before the turn.

When asked for her effort, Trepidation accelerated smartly to hit the front 250 metres out and she waltzed home by three and a-half lengths.

She was really impressive, Myers said. It was perfect and there was genuine speed you're never quite sure in these small fields. She needed that and she came to the end of it half-way up the straight.

Alvesta finished a distant second ahead of Miko and Perfect Start with the favourite So Wotif a disappointment in beating only Gaston home.

- NZ Racing Desk