Geography and timing are the key reasons why the premier meeting of the New Zealand racing weekend isn't the one carrying the premier status.
Today's huge bonus meeting at Te Rapa gives northern gallops punters a rare three straight days of high-class racing, with everything from sprint stars and weight-for-ageGroup 1 races, to a Great Northern meeting at Te Aroha on Sunday.
As weird as that may feel, it feels even stranger for the second day of the Hawke's Bay carnival to be by many measures weaker than today's Te Rapa fixture, programmed for a Friday so as not to clash with Hastings.
Hastings has the Group 1 Windsor Park Plate and the best horse racing in New Zealand this weekend in Callsign Mav, as well as the much-loved Hawke's Bay Guineas and a decent open sprint. But all three features are matched by their corresponding races at Te Rapa.
More jarringly, Callsign Mav is the only glamour horse at Hastings for what would usually be the standout meeting of the week. If he races up to his last-start win in the Tarzino, it should justify his odds-on quote in the $220,000 Windsor Park Plate.
But Te Rapa, racing for the standard Saturday stakes on a Friday, has attracted the likes of Ocean Billy, Savy Yong Blonk, Brando, Mascarpone, Hypnos, Palamos and Festivity.
This comes after the later start to the Hawke's Bay carnival after level 4 restrictions cancelled racing six weeks ago.
That meant the Foxbridge Plate meeting went back a week and forced the Tarzino meeting at Hastings to do the same, reducing the gap from Hastings's first and second meetings from three weeks to two.
Many northern trainers don't like to ask their horses to make the trip to Hastings and back three times in 28 days and that, along with some below-par performances from big names on the first day there, has contributed to tomorrow's meeting being down on star power.
"We were always going to struggle to take a lot of the big names three times in 28 days," leading trainer Jamie Richards told the Herald. "Some horses will try it but not many of ours and obviously it affects some horses more than others.
"But for a horse like Savy Yong Blonk, who we think is a good chance in the Livamol in two weeks, she is far better off racing at Te Rapa this weekend and being back home in an hour," he added.
Savy Yong Blonk is better off racing at Te Rapa today, says trainer Jamie Richards. Photo / Trish Dunell
A lesser factor may be Callsign Mav scaring off a few opponents as he looks perfectly placed tomorrow, while an unbeaten three-year-old talent such as Palamos needs to get his 2000 Guineas campaign underway but wouldn't be ready for the Hawke's Bay Guineas tomorrow, so resumes instead at Te Rapa.
The three-year-old race he contests today has talent while Brando's return in the open sprint against Mascarpone, who was exceptional beating the weight-for-age horses in the Foxbridge last start, will be intriguing with Mascarpone needing something special to give speedsters up to 10kg.
Later in today's programme, Ocean Billy warms up for the Caulfield Cup in the open 2000m, his last run of the spring for owner-trainer Bill Pomare before he crosses the Tasman to join Chris Waller's Victorian team for the iconic Cups double.
Ocean Billy loves Te Rapa, has Billy Pinn to take 2kg off his 62 topweight, and will need to be in the finish to have any chance at Caulfield in a fortnight.
