Racing: Wide barriers worry Lynds

Vosna Romanee will appreciate the extra distance of the Spring Classic tomorrow. Photo / APN

Weight-for-age racing is all about speed and riding tactics.

Which makes tomorrow's $250,000 Kit Ormond Memorial Spring Classic a fascinating contest.

Before the barrier draws stablemates Wall Street and last year's winner Vosne Romanee were standout favourites.

When they draw barriers No 14 and No 13 the TAB changed its market dramatically.

Their riders Michael Coleman and Opie Bosson are as good as it gets.

They are going to need to be and trainer Jeff Lynds knows it.

"Yes, the advantage is with the other horses this time," he said.

Lynds yesterday he had not settled on plans to attempt to overcome the disadvantage of probably having to drop both horses to the back of the field.

Even if he had, newspaper columns are not the place for revealing riding tactics when you are racing for a quarter of a million dollars.

"I'll try and map something out tomorrow and ring the two riders to talk it over," said Lynds.

By then Lynds will know what the likely track conditions will be.

Pretty much everyone is hoping for a decent surface in contrast to the first two days of the spring treble.

Since Windsor Park Plate day two weeks ago the track had dried to the point of having a firm crust, which the club has attempted to eliminate by irrigating this week.

Rain was forecast for late yesterday, but for irrigation to be effective it had to be in advance of that and if the track hadn't been watered, what if the rain hadn't arrived?

What if too much rain eventuates? The track would deteriorate very quickly.

It's almost a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation for Hawkes Bay Racing.

Wall Street can manage a rain-affected track, Vosne Romanee can't, but the Awapuni trainer wasn't planning on anything but a good surface.

Although not a concern, in the back of Lynds' mind is that Wall Street has yet to race past 1600m. Although devastating at 1600m, Wall Street has always suggested he would settle and run out a strong 2000m, and in this case 2040m.

His English dam Villa Wanda did not win in two starts, but her half brothers and half sisters Hastate and Gismo won over 3800m and 3500m respectively in Europe.

Both of Lynds' horses are capable of fighting right to the finish even after sustaining a long run, as Wall Street showed when being beaten a whisker in the $200,000 Mudgway Stakes on the opening day of the meeting and winning the Windsor Park Plate on the middle day.

Trainer Graeme Boyd believes Ginga Dude is in better shape this time than when an extremely unlucky second to Vosne Romanee in this race last year.

Ginga Dude won nicely at Ellerslie under 57kg when resuming, but found 59kg too much in very heavy and testing conditions at Pukekohe at his only subsequent start.

He much prefers firm footing and should be ideal on tomorrow's footing, which surely could be no worse than dead.

SPRING CLASSIC
* Tactics decide weight-for-age racing.

* That becomes even more important with Wall Street and Vosne Romanee drawing the outside two starting gates.

* It means the field has opened up to a fascinating scenario.