Racing: Message clear at Te Rapa

It's A Message ridden by Maija Vance. Photo / Christine Cornege

Whoa might be a good catchcry for the punting approach today.

A couple of sound each-way bets could be a sensible path.

Heavy rain in Hamilton yesterday has made the usually reliable Te Rapa track very testing. Planning a racing pattern will take time and not be easy.

Course stats and heavy track form will be critical. It's A Message (No1, R5) fits both bills. He has twice won in heavy footing, has twice won at Te Rapa and, perhaps most important of all, he drops back from R90 to R70.

In-form Rory Hutchings takes 3kg off his 59kg topweight and with 56kg he looks well placed in this grade.

Last start at Ellerslie he was a solid third to tough mudder The Strutter at Ellerslie and before that he was fifth behind So Pristine - 3.4 lengths away - in an open handicap on this track. That is great form for this event.

You can probably safely disregard much of the beaten form at Ellerslie last Saturday - even some of the winners weren't handling the conditions. That eighth by Appleton's Lass (No5, R2) is not representative of her true form.

Forget that run and go here on her effort at Te Rapa the start before when she came with a huge late run to take third behind Yeshi Shinko.

She has not won at Te Rapa, but she has been five times placed in 10 attempts.

Abbey Tralae (No4) similarly failed unaccountably the week before at Ellerslie. She had been shaping up well before that flop and it might pay to forget it. She is a Te Rapa course winner. Pure Cruising (No7) is the form horse, but has yet to run on a heavy surface so he might be vulnerable at the price he'll come up at.

Rush'n Prince (No2, R3) each way might not be the worst bet on the day.

He was second at his only start on a heavy track at Rotorua two starts back and last time, at Te Rapa, he was less than one length away fifth in a better field than this.

Brave Ali (No3) is the big improver. He might be a bit risky, but The Jungle Boy (No4, R4) would occasion no great surprise if he won. He's done it at Te Rapa before and his recent form in two starts after a spell has not been bad. Today's track surface should suit.

His stablemate Twelve Monkeys (No1, R6) won with real authority when coming back from a long break at Ellerslie last start. With 50.5kg he had no weight that day and although he has 56kg this time, he's dropping back to R80 from the R90 he won in at Ellerslie.

Race 7 is chock full of chances. One of the best might be Sateka (No3).

She should be fully fit now after three runs back since a spell and her Ruakaka second last start promised a win was not far off.

There are a couple of smart ones in the last, but Demophon (No4, R8) will be difficult to contain.