Racing: Vespa likely to scoot north

Lady Royale finishes too powerfully for Steel Rose to win the Breeders Stakes at Matamata on Saturday. Photo / Thinkstock

With several rivals missing, Otaki juvenile appears well placed to win Diamond Stakes.

Johno Benner has already had his luck with classy juvenile Vespa and it appears he's about to have plenty more.

Benner has declared Vespa will run in the $200,000 Haunui Farm Diamond Stakes at Ellerslie on Saturday week and the best possible news for him is that Vinnie Eagle and Saturday's Matamata Breeders Stakes victor Lady Royale will not be there.

The Otaki trainer was not sure Vespa would be back for the Diamond immediately after the $1 million Karaka Million victory because he said he backed Touche up in those races last year and felt it probably was not the right move for the horse.

"But Vespa has bounced through the Karaka Million like you couldn't believe and he'll be right at his best again in two weeks' time," says Benner.

Cambridge trainer Tony Pike has declared Vinnie Eagle will not be at Ellerslie after a well-below par performance in the Inglis Classic in Sydney.

"He copped a slight injury in Sydney so we've decided to send him out until the spring. It's nothing serious and he's too good to do anything silly with.

"If he'd been beaten three lengths in Sydney you'd have said he simply wasn't good enough, but his run was just too bad to be true."

Pike said the highly talented Vinnie Eagle would follow the same spring path as Sacred Falls, resuming at Ruakaka then tackling the Hawkes Bay Guineas.

More Than Sacred in the Auckland Cup and Chintz will spearhead the stable's attack on the three-day Ellerslie carnival beginning with Derby Day this Saturday.

It's a shame Vinnie Eagle and Lady Royale will be missing from the Diamond Stakes, Lady Royale proving to her handlers that she is simply not the same horse right-handed, despite being trained on that configuration.

Her Matamata Breeders Stakes victory over talented Steel Rose was remarkable. Lady Royal's athleticism - she possess a truly stunning stretch - will win her a lot of races and friends when going left-handed.

Trainer Steve McKee said yesterday his Reid and Harrison Slipper winner from Saturday, Prince Mambo, had come through that victory well enough to start in the Diamond Stakes. "But that decision won't be made before talking to syndicate manager Albert Bosma, but I'll be surprised if the horse isn't there."

O'Marilyn would definitely be a Diamond runner, said McKee.

"She won her first start and has had three bad draws since. Her Karaka Million third was very good after being wide and having to work early."

McKee will run rising star Moozoon in the Sunline Vase and Chaparrone in the Auckland Cup.

Johno Benner will also be bringing north Touche, who returned to his best with an excellent Otaki victory on Saturday.

Benner believes Touche's irregular breathing patterns have been caused by being hunted up early in his juvenile races last season.

"It taught him to hold his breath, which is why we dropped him out the back early yesterday to teach him to relax and run home strongly."

Touche, on trial for Ellerslie, certainly did that, swooping on the leaders halfway down the home straight to win easily.

There were some good winning performances at Matamata: Von Krumm, She's Samashing, La Valeta and Princes Kyoto.

And if you backed something you liked that got back and failed to run on, forgive it - that was mission impossible in most cases on Saturday.