Racing: Scarlet Rose intent on some black type

There could not be a more timely win than if Scarlet Rose took tomorrow's $40,000 Tauranga Kiwifruit Cup.

Scarlet Rose is trained on the track, is owned by club vice-president Peter Silson and is sitting just $550 short of $100,000 in earnings.

And this could be the last opportunity the gutsy mare will have of creating black type stakes rating for her breeding career.

Trainer Jim Pender is adamant Scarlet Rose deserves to retire with a black type rating and few could disagree.

He is equally adamant she is one of the unluckiest horses he has trained, despite the eight wins and healthy bankroll.

The timing is dead right - Scarlet Rose came back to winning form under Grant Cooksley at Te Rapa last start and Pender says she has gone on the right way in the last three weeks.

"I'm very pleased with the way she's eating and training."

Track conditions will play a major role. The footing should be perfect, with a dead rating and the surface yielding fractionally.

The likes of Shanamann, Lazaros, Bumper To Bumper, Rutland Lass and Millnorm are coming off racing on deep and difficult heavy and soft winter surfaces and may lack the sharpness required.

The track was heavy when Scarlet Rose won at Te Rapa last start, but that does not tell the complete story.

She has won three races on slow and heavy, and five on good and dead tracks.

"She doesn't mind it heavy, but what she will strike this time would be her preference," says Pender.

He believes Scarlet Rose should already have group one black type.

"She has to be ridden back. If you ride her forward she simply will not run on - which makes it difficult in weight-for-age races for a handicapper.

"When she ran in Lashed's group one International Stakes at Te Rapa, she came from well back, got a shocking run and finish fifth, half a length from third.

"There was black type back to fourth and she just missed it."

Cooksley is riding in Penang this weekend and Pender has engaged high-profile apprentice Buddy Lammas.

The certain single instruction he will be given is 'Have her at the back of the field down the back straight'.

Life's late starter Gristle was half a head behind Scarlet Rose at Te Rapa and gets an additional 1kg off the local this time.

She is greatly underrated and even allowing that owner and trainer Michael Wallace did a magnificent job to get her fit enough to push Scarlet Rose in her first start in seven months, it's difficult to believe there will not be a fraction of improvement this time.

Gristle's stats are impressive - three starts at Tauranga for two wins.

It was no surprise to see Northern Beau bounce back at Te Aroha last start after the stable admitted it had made a slight error being too easy on his training after winning at Ruakaka and before his run at Te Rapa.