Racing: Travelling Light faces tough Soliloquy

Travelling Light with trainer Ben Foote. Photo / Trish Dunell

Travelling Light has helped Ben Foote get his racing mojo back.

Which might come in handy because if the unbeaten filly is as good as Foote, and plenty of other good judges, think the pair might be in for a busy summer together.

The long-striding daughter of El Roca faces the toughest test of her short career in the $70,000 Soliloquy Stakes at Ellerslie today, taking on many of the best fillies in the country.

If she impresses Foote she will head to Riccarton for the 1000 Guineas on November 16. If she wins today she might go close to starting favourite is the Guineas.

That might be a big call considering the depth of this season's classic crop but Travelling Light thrashed a good colt in Harlech at Matamata last start on a track heavier than Foote would have liked.

"We only started her because it was early in the day and the track was not too bad," says the 42-year-old former jumps jockey.

"But she won on a good track before that and her whole family has been better on top of the ground.

"So the drying track up there will suit her better and I really do think she can win.

"She is very untapped."

Travelling Light has won both her race starts and both her trials but all have been left-handed and Ellerslie, where the final bend transitions into some wide open spaces at the top of the straight, has tripped up more than a few newcomers.

"She may not have started right-handed but that doesn't bother me at all. She does 95 per cent of her work that way around."

While Foote often has up to 40 horses in work only four of that current team are active racehorses, with most of the other being pre-trained or preparing to hopefully be sold or race offshore. "That is how I have set my business up and most of the racehorses end up with other trainers, predominantly Stephen Marsh, who I work in closely with," Foote said.

"Sometimes I can get very involved in that and not go to the races much, which I am happy enough with. But this filly has got my racing mojo back.

"I am loving taking her to the races and I'd love her to go well this week because I'm really keen to get her down to the 1000 Guineas.

"But she won't be going south unless I think she can win it so she needs to perform well this week."

Those sentiments will ring true for many of his rival trainers, with the Soliloquy being one of the most important early season trials for a classic in recent years.

The fillies are so talented and so even anything but a progressive performance today could cast doubts over the merits of the often tiring trip to Riccarton.

Today's meeting also sees potential Couplands Mile-bound Vigor Winner in the rating82 (race seven) a race he may need to win to guarantee himself a spot in the $230,000 mile on middle day of Cup week at Riccarton.

Ellerslie launch

Today's Ellerslie meeting is the unofficial launch of their summer racing season.

The first race is at 12.28pm

Strong winds are expected to help the track improve to a dead5 or dead4.

The $70,000 Barneswood Farm Soliloquy Stakes is a crucial lead-up to the 1000 Guineas.