Racing: Mare too good as soft track trips Silky

As tempting as a race without Calveen may be, Foxton trainer Heather Weller is not budging from spelling plans for Silky Red Boxer.

After watching a television re-run of her stable star pushing the Japan/New Zealand Trophy winner to a long neck at Tauranga, Heller is loath to risk Silky Red Boxer again on a soft track.

Until now, Heller had been considering a final autumn run for Silky Red Boxer in the Hawkes Bay Cup (2200m) on April 23, his first over a middle distance.

The Lance O'Sullivan-trained Calveen signs off on her black-type haul this campaign with the $100,000 Travis Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa a week later.

"The tracks are only going to be the same as Tauranga or worse from now on and I don't want him to race on those just for the sake of giving him a race," said Weller yesterday.

"It's hard going for him in the wet. As soon as the rain arrived on Saturday, I thought 'Oh God, if he weighs in I'll be happy'."

Weller concedes last year's Japan/NZ Trophy winner was beaten fair and square by Easter Handicap champ Calveen at the weekend.

Calveen has proved the star of O'Sullivan's stable, the horse having now won eight races including five this season.

Lammas has formed a 100 per cent strike rate with Calveen, having had two rides on her for two wins. The previous success had been in the group one Easter Handicap (1600m) at Ellerslie.

Lammas will be looking to make it three straight on Calveen when the mare winds up her current campaign with a start in the $100,000 Travis Stakes at Te Rapa on April 30.

But the narrow margin of Calveen's victory could easily have been reversed on a firmer surface.

Rider Noel Harris was forced to bustle Silky Red Boxer a lot more than he would have liked to stay in touch on a track punishing backrunners.

"There's no way that track was 3.0 at the start of the day," said Weller.

"They were trying to tell us it was on the better side of easy, but after one light shower it changed to soft - that was pretty strange."

Weller's Foxton colleague David Haworth agrees.

Haworth and his wife and training partner Sarah brought Downwind north needing a win in the PQ 2170m at Tauranga to seal a start in the Hawkes Bay Cup.

But Haworth knew he was dreaming long before the long-striding backrunner had even jumped from the gates.

"I have very little hair, but what I do have didn't even get wet with the amount of rain that fell, yet they still changed the track to soft," said Haworth.

"There's no way that track was as firm as what they were making out at the start of the day.

"No horse could make ground from the back and my horse just won't go on that type of track."

The Haworths may have saddled the most impressive Tauranga winner, Jurys Out, who steps out next in an open grade 1600m at Awapuni.

But they now have to pray for some serious open-grade no-shows at Hastings, or reserve their St Leger runner-up for richer spring assignments across the Tasman.

Murray Baker's Cambridge orphan, Viz Vitae, confirmed his place at Hastings with an against-the-odds win in the Bay of Plenty Cup.

Frightened by the "off" track, his camp came close to late scratching just an hour before the race.

But they kept the north's most promising stayer in the field because there wasn't another suitable Hawkes Bay lead-up.

Baker now holds a strong hand in the feature autumn handicap, with stablemates Dowry and Mistrale also prospects for the $100,000 race.

At least the Haworths won't have to worry about Tickle, Saturday's other impressive middle-distance winner, knocking Downwind out of the final Hastings field.

Her gutsy win in the Manawatu Breeders Stakes at Awapuni clinched a Brisbane campaign that may kick off in the Lord Mayors Cup, also on April 30.

Other Queensland assignments could include the Prime Ministers, Doomben and Brisbane Cups.

Premier day

* Calveen and Cameron Lammas win the group 2 Japan / NZ Trophy.

* They hold out last year's winners Silky Red Boxer and Noel Harris by a long neck.

* Harris guides Korau Road to victory in the other $100,000 race on the card, the Classique.