Alabama Lass - ready to go.
Red-hot jockey Sam Spratt had one eye on today but the other looking ahead when she made her first tough choice of the new season for Taupō today.
Spratt had the option to ride either of the stars fillies Velocious (R5, No 1) or Alabama Lass in the $40,000 Taupō Pak N Save Filllies feature today, a race that could act as a genuine pointer to the spring head.
Velocious was our champion 2-year-old last season, winner of the Karaka Million in the hands of James McDonald but Spratt was aboard in her other five races including winning the Group 1 Sistema Stakes.
But Spratt has opted to partner Alabama Lass in today’s 1100m dash, meaning Craig Grylls takes over on Velocious, which on their overall records may surprise some punters.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” says Spratt, who has a mammoth season last term and leads the premiership after three weeks.
“But I wouldn’t be surprised if Velocious ends up racing in Australia this spring and obviously if they choose that path I’d lose the ride.
“So it was hard to get off her but Alabama Lass is very good too, even though she hasn’t had as much racing.”
Alabama Lass created a huge impression in just two starts last season, winning her debut by nine lengths for Spratt and she looked sharp running down Move To Strike at the trials two weeks ago.
While Velocious already has her New Zealand Group 1 win so may head to Australia to try to add black type there, Alabama Lass hasn’t had her shot at the highest level yet so looks more likely to stay home, with the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton a possible aim.
“You never know if these early 3-year-olds are going to get there and they are both so fast there is no guarantee they will even stay 1600m,” laughed Spratt.
“But there isn’t much between them ability wise and I am sticking with the one I think is more likely to stay here.”
Taupō often favours those who can jump and run, which suits Alabama Lass and she does also have a 3kg advantage over Velocious so it wouldn’t surprise to see the TAB’s opening market flip and Alabama Lass start favourite.
Trainer Stephen Marsh says Spratt could be right as Velocious may well spend the second half of spring in Melbourne chasing that Australian black type that would so enormously increase her value when, being a Go Racing syndicate horse, she is sold at the end of her racing career.
“I am happy with her and she is ready to go but that filly Sam is on will be hard to catch,” said Marsh.
“We don’t have any plans after this yet but there is a real chance she could go to Australia for a campaign.”
While the pair dominate the market it is not a two-horse race as Archaic Smile showed real talent last season, being runner-up in the Sistema, while Sister Ping was brilliant on debut albeit today is a huge step up.
The race immediately before sees the 3-year-old boys do something similar and again it is Spratt against Marsh as she rides Savaglee against the unbeaten Marsh-trained Super Photon.
Savaglee was a player in all the major juvenile races last season and looked forward when second in a recent Te Rapa trial while Super Photon is unbeaten in two starts last term and was third in that trial Alabama Lass won.
“We think a lot of this horse and while they will all improve on what they do on Wednesday I think he can win,” said Marsh of Super Photon.
Marsh also suggests he can win Race 6 today with Merchant Queen who is a natural speedster with a good draw who was sharp enough to finished second to Crocetti in the Almanzor Trophy on Karaka Millions night in January.
The high-class action starts before the races even begin today with three open trials featuring Orchestral, Move To Strike and Crocetti.
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.