What had the potential to be a big day for Lance O'Sullivan turned out to be a disaster.
The Matamata trainer's big $500,000 Mercedes Derby hope Charliehorse once again ended up alongside the outside running rail in the closing stages of the $100,000 Championship Stakes and Our Kitty was a
late scratching from the $20,000 SkyCity Auckland Cup Prelude.
It could mean the end of Our Kitty's hopes for the $600,000 SkyCity Auckland Cup.
Charliehorse cannot win the Derby doing what he did on Saturday, but O'Sullivan feels a couple of factors contributed to the movement.
The inside running rail was out nearly 10 metres from its true position, which meant Charliehorse was already halfway to the outside rail and a horse getting under the 3-year-old's neck on the tight home bend did not help.
"We've noticed that he doesn't lug out if he's got a horse outside him, so our hope is that he draws an [inside] alley in the Derby and finds the inside," said O'Sullivan.
"We'll be trying a couple of things, but putting blinkers on him will not be one of them - all that will do is fire him up and he has to run 2400m."
On the brighter side O'Sullivan will produce the Auckland Cup favourite, Pentane.
After the race TAB bookie Paul Lally drifted Charliehorse from around $10 to $14, at the same time tightening Wahid in from $4 to $2.85.
Congrats stayed solid at $5.50 and Black Panther remained at $9. The skinny racing strip on Saturday did no favours to back runners like Black Panther, who will be much better suited with the rail back in the true position for the Derby.
His stablemates Abbey Drive and Gallion's Reach have been eased, the former from $12 to $14 and Gallion's Reach from $9 to $10.
