Racing: Sparkling filly a big danger

Stephen McKee summed up tomorrow's $200,000 Waikato Draught Sprint best.

When asked who he thought the main danger was to his own horse Mufhasa, McKee said: "Well, with Wall Street and Mufhasa you sort of know what you're getting.

"No one knows yet how good We Can Say It Now might be."

That's something the co-trainer of the sparkling filly, Bjorn Baker, agrees with.

"We don't know how good she is either," said Baker yesterday on We Can Say It Now.

"When she's won she's won easily and when she's been beaten she's been very unlucky."

We will almost certainly know a lot more about the outer limits of We Can Say It Now's abilities after tomorrow's group one race.

If she can beat Wall Street and Mufhasa, both multiple group one winners, we'll be naming her alongside some of history's best fillies.

One thing Bjorn Baker is looking forward to is the day We Can Say It Now settles down to a knock-down, drag-out fight for the first time.

"She hasn't had a dogfight yet and I'm sort of looking forward to it," he said.

There was no chance of one last start when We Can Say It Now cleared out on the opposition in the group one Captain Cook Stakes at Trentham.

Baker said while he believes there will be natural improvement in We Can Say It Now following a break, he says the filly has been working well.

"We're very happy with her, but she has to face the likes of Wall Street and Mufhasa and I rate Keep The Peace a big chance. She's already won a group one 1400m [Mudgway Stakes) this season."

Mufhasa is trying to complete a back to back Telegraph-Waikato Draught double, something he achieved two years ago.

"I'd say he's probably in the same form he was in two years ago, the difference being that the opposition is a bit stronger this time," said McKee.

McKee doesn't see the No 9 barrier as being an issue to lose sleep over.

"He will be able to begin well and should be able to slide across to sit outside the speed."

That will almost certainly be set by southerner Coup Align, who was so brave in finishing third to Mufhasa on an unsuitable wet track on Telegraph day.

Coup Align, a brilliant speedster, has tried 1400m only once when he was swamped back to fifth - beaten less than one length - after leading in the Dunedin Guineas two years ago.

However, he had won the Gore Guineas at his previous start over 1355m.

This is several levels up from that and will be a real pressure race.

Trainer Jeff Lynds is cautious about the chances of Wall Street, but then that's not unusual.

"He's not really a 1400m horse, even though he's won one over the distance and he won't be as forward as some in the race.

"But he's been working well and I'm happy with him."

The key to We Can Say It Now's chance, aside from her great class, is her light weight of 53.5kg under the weight-for-age scale.

She gets a whopping 5.5kg off Wall Street and Mufhasa and 3.5kg off Keep The Peace.

She has a huge frame, covered with ample muscle and the 53.5kg will seem like a feather.

What a race this will be.

WAIKATO DRAUGHT

* The Wall Street-We Can Say It Now-Mufhasa clash will be a ripper.

* We Can Say It Now has a huge advantage under the weight-for-age scale.

* Co-trainer Bjorn Baker says the stable still does not know how good the filly is.