This Week’s Racing (NZ)
There is some good racing this week in NZ with the Wellington Racing Club’s meeting at TRentham being the main one but Ellerslie has some good races on. At Wellington, the Group one Captain Cook Stakes, a weight-for-age over 1600m is the big race. I think that if Kawi starts then he will be the one to beat. He was the beaten favourite in the race in 2015 after getting a long way back in the running. It is likely to be an open race with room for an upset as it has been in the past. Trainer Fraser Auret won it in the last two years with Aide Memoire (2016) and Julinsky Prince (2015).He trains Sensible Princess who won the South Auckland Breeders Stakes at Pukekohe 25 November so it will be interesting if she lines up.
At Trenthan I always look for those horses on a 7-day backup because Trentham is a testing track and fitness plays a bigger part than on many other tracks.
Backing last start winners at Trentham is also recommended. In fact decades ago this old timer, Pat Lush would always go on about this point and selected a lot of winners. He published the tipping sheet Sports Gazette during the 60s and 70s.
The Northern trainers do well at Trentham and one to watch is the Autridge/Richards yard.
saturday’s Ellerslie will be the second in as many weeks. Horses that race at Ellerslie tend to race well when they start at other tracs next time out especially when they are the type of horses who prefer left handed tracks. (Ellerslie is right-handed).
The Concorde Sprint is the feature race at Ellerslie and form from Counties Cup day is usually the best guide in that race as it is for the other races at Ellerslie on Saturday.
melbournecupmethod 