Trainer Richard Collett is happy to admit a win for Prized Touch in tomorrow's DLA Philips Fox Cornwall Handicap at Ellerslie would be a bonus.
Collett has Prized Touch racing now, essentially in unfavourable track conditions, for reasons of fitness.
The talented stayer spent 13 months away from racing as
a result of going amiss in the early stages of what was to have been a late spring/summer campaign earlier this season.
Prized Touch ran in the 2008 Auckland Cup in March, was spelled, then suffered a hairline fracture to a pastern in his first barrier trial back in the spring.
That required another spell and Richard Collett knew if he brought the horse back when the footing suited later this year, the gap away from racing would mean he would never get the horse fit enough for summer.
In the last two of his three runs so far this preparation, Prized Touch has finished a big second to Black Panther at Tauranga over 1600m, finishing strongly down the outside and a close third to Kiri over 2100m at Te Rapa two weeks ago.
He carried 58kg in that race, but because Auckland Cup winner Spin Around is engaged, the weights below him have been compressed.
"He's down to a decent weight of 54.5kg this time," says Collett.
The issue will be the footing.
The Ellerslie track was yesterday rated at a slow 8.
"It was a slow 9 on Wednesday," said Auckland Racing Club Manager of Racing Andrew Castles.
"With this fine weather I'd say it will be a slow 7 by the 5pm reading tomorrow, then it's up to whatever the weather does."
The forecast is for at least some rain tomorrow, which, if it fell in the right amount at the right time, would be more of an advantage than a disadvantage.
It would loosen what might otherwise be a track on the sticky side.
"He's fit enough to win if he handles the ground," said Collett.
This is a considerably stronger than some Cornwall Handicaps we've seen in the last decade.
El Perez has to carry 57kg, but he's used to big weights. He turned in a blinder to finish second to Point Guard over 1600m at Ellerslie on Saturday on footing that was not as loose and wet as he prefers.
"He comes up quickly and that race will have done him the world of good," said co-trainer Donna Logan.
Rain tomorrow would be perfect for El Perez - his form on heavy surfaces is 10 starts for six wins and three placings.
Indikator is a dangerous lightweight on 52kg. He came back from a break with a narrow, but dominant, 1600m victory at Te Rapa two starts back and was then a certainty beaten when he stepped up to 2100m on the same track last time.
The defeat was quite remarkable - three times Noel Harris tried to find a gap in a wall of horses in a field of only seven other runners and three times he was stopped in his tracks.
He wound up fourth, but was only three-quarters of a length from the winner Kiri after finally seeing daylight in the closing 60m.
Stone Garden is the sleeper.
He came from a long way back to finish fourth to Indikator over that too-short 1600m at Te Rapa two starts back and take no notice of him beating only one home behind Kiri next time out - he was less than two lengths away.
It's difficult to assess the chances of Spin Around, but it's even more difficult to make a case to leave him out of calculations.
He didn't fire when only eighth behind Tinseltown in the Rotorua Cup at Te Aroha, but a lot of horses didn't handle the conditions that day.
Five of his six New Zealand victories have been achieved on rain-affected footing - that alone makes him a prospect despite his 58.5kg - and he saves his best for Ellerslie.
Taking The Mickey is looking to turn an important form statistic around tomorrow.
In nine career starts he has been unable to be successful at 1400m.
His pet trip is 1600m, but this race will run more like a 1600m event.
Last start he tried 1400m and finished fourth, but it was a much better effort than it reads on paper.
The race was won in a sharp 1.23.68 by O'Cartier from Who Knows - two 1400m specialists.
Consistent Taking The Mickey finished strongly and will be much better suited by tomorrow's rain-affected track.
WINTER TEST
* Ellerslie's biggest winter handicap has drawn a smart field of horses who will like the conditions.
* Yet the biggest danger might be a horse who is not that fussed about the mud - Prized Touch.
* He has been racing himself into form and trainer Richard Collett believes if he handles the conditions he will go close.
Trainer Richard Collett is happy to admit a win for Prized Touch in tomorrow's DLA Philips Fox Cornwall Handicap at Ellerslie would be a bonus.
Collett has Prized Touch racing now, essentially in unfavourable track conditions, for reasons of fitness.
The talented stayer spent 13 months away from racing as
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