Racing: Leica Lucy’s chance to shine at Te Rapa

Tuxedo, a favourite in the Waikato Guineas, in action.

The more things change, the more they stay the same for Leica Lucy.

The New Plymouth filly has had an interesting week with a managing share in her being sold to Australian owner Ozzie Kheir, who will send her to the Chris Waller stable after the New Zealand Oaks on March 22.

To get to that Oaks, she has to step up to 2000m in the $275,000 Ellis Classic at Te Rapa tomorrow, which also means her first start north of home and taking on new opposition.

But while there is a lot going on in her career right now, Leica Lucy is the ideal horse to handle it, says trainer Robbie Patterson.

“She loves it,” Patterson says. “She just races, eats, goes back to work and gets ready for the next one.

“She is one of those horses who is a real pleasure to train and I think she has improved heaps since her last win.”

Leica Lucy bolted away with the Eulogy and Desert Gold Stakes in her last two starts, both over 1600m, but Patterson says the step up to 2000m will suit her even better.

The final concern for those taking the $1.70 tomorrow could be barrier one and any traffic issues, but he is confident she can jump first and give jockey Craig Grylls options – so it will take a very good filly to beat her.

Patterson also has Old Bold Cat in the $700,000 Herbie Dyke tomorrow but admits he would like to see some rain to take the sting out of the Te Rapa track.

“If we get that, we can run top three,” he added.

A trainer using both of tomorrow’s $275,000 three-year-old races as a guide to what happens next is Shaune Ritchie, who has Alaskan in the Ellis Classic and favourite Tuxedo in the Waikato Guineas.

“Alaskan is a real Oaks filly so I think she is actually a better chance in the Oaks than this race,” he explains.

“We aren’t going to change her racing pattern this week so she will get back and I think be too far off Leica Lucy to beat her, but I can see her running on well.”

Tuxedo steps up to 2000m in the Legacy Lodge Waikato Guineas after his Karaka Millions second to Damask Rose, his performance determining whether he is a Derby or NZB Kiwi contender on March 8.

“He is a horse who can get up on the bridle so we don’t really know whether he will stay,” Ritchie says.

“If he does, I think he will win – but if he doesn’t, then we have our Derby answer and we will still have time to freshen him up and try to get a slot in the Kiwi.”

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.