Racing: Super Easy in hunt for $1 million

Super Easy. Photo / Sarah Ivey

A million dollars can bring with it a lot of smiles.

Super Easy is capable of generating that type of outcome for the appropriately named Joy N' Happiness Syndicate in tomorrow night's $1 million Karaka Million at Ellerslie.

The handsome Darci Brahma youngster is second favourite for the feature behind Christchurch filly Planet Rock.

But the owners will have to enjoy their happiness from afar if Super Easy can take his record to two wins and a narrow second from three starts.

Andre Lim and Ying Hong are Singapore-based and will not be making the trip to New Zealand for the race.

"Andre and Ying bought three horses last year at the sales with the idea of developing them up here in New Zealand and sending them to Singapore," said Matamata trainer John Sargent.

"When we gave Super Easy his first gallop he looked pretty good so we got the okay to take him to Trentham and, of course, he won.

"The other two aren't named yet and won't race here and this bloke will still go to Singapore after his 2-year-old racing."

As good as Super Easy looked winning on debut at Trentham, his beaten performance when rolled by a nose by Anabandana in the Eclipse Stakes at Ellerslie was even more impressive.

Anabandana is very smart and Super Easy fought her almost the entire length of the Ellerslie straight and looked to be holding her until the last bound.

The track conditions will play a major part in this race, which is a shame. The rain which started yesterday is forecast to be heavy in Auckland this morning and possibly much of the day with clearing weather overnight or in the morning.

How much rain falls and the extent of the drying tomorrow is almost something the TAB could run a book on. What might become important is that Super Easy and Planet Rock have drawn mid-field and wider.

In such a slick race, the inside gates are unlikely to be favourable if significant rain has been absorbed.

Co-trainer Peter Williams is not sure how Planet Rock will cope with a rain-affected track, but he's preparing for the worst.

"She's a long-striding filly and they generally don't handle wet ground too well.

"We'll just have to wait and see what the footing is like, but I'm very happy with her and she's got the class to win if things go her way."

Planet Rock impressed greatly with the way she stormed to the finish to win comfortably on this track last start.

Super Easy narrowly beat Planet Rock in that debut victory at Trentham, but Planet Rock did not enjoy a great run that day and has clearly improved since.

The TAB market hasn't changed a lot since it opened, with Planet Rock at $3.50 and Super Easy quoted at $5.50.

Jackthelad has tightened slightly to joint $8 third favourite with Lee Freedman's Melbourne youngster Chateauneuf Dupape and you go out to $10 for Super Easy's stablemate Savabill, to be ridden again by Sydney's Hugh Bowman.

Chateauneuf Dupape will be ridden by Melbourne jockey Ben Melham, who rose to the headlines when leading trainer Peter Moody asked him to ride Black Caviar in the A$750,000 Patinack Stakes in November as a replacement for suspended stable jockey Luke Nolan.

Melham didn't miss the opportunity and scored his first group one victory on the unbeaten star of Australian racing.

Chateauneuf Dupape hasn't managed to win a race, but his placings in Melbourne have been quite strong.

Banchee is going to take plenty of beating in the $200,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Karaka 3YO Mile.

Last season's champion juvenile took six starts this preparation to find winning form - the first four unplaced - but there was no denying her win at Ellerslie last start, in which she just got up to beat a talented and game Historian.

The time for the 1600m was a swift 1.34.74 and the determination to lunge at the finish when it looked as though Historian had the race won was stunning.

John Sargent clearly has Banchee back where he needs her.

Icepin keeps running top class races and his second to Jimmy Choux in the Great Northern Guineas last start was a great trial for a race like this.

Eight Lives has a big future. He has a bit against him in a winning run in tricky ground at Trentham last Saturday and a trip back to the Waikato, but his class will take him a long way.

A terminating $100,000 Pick6 will operate on this meeting.

Magic Potion (R6) and Bee Jean (R4) were stylish winning last start and Mr Legs will be going for four straight when he tackles Race 1.

He has 59kg to lump, but is a big, strong type and could be up to it.