Shane Anderton will not be jumping for joy if a replay of the Marton Cup eventuates in tomorrow's Trentham Stakes in Wellington.
Wingatui-based Anderton and his father, Brian, prepare Inferno for what will essentially be a trial for the group 2 Wellington Cup but Anderton does not like what he has seen in the recent staying races in the Central Districts - especially with Inferno's barrier draw of nine.
''It all depends on how the race pans out,'' Anderton said.
''If they go slow that wouldn't suit us at all.''
The pedestrian pace for much of the Marton Cup caused the stipendiary stewards to address jockeys about the severe lack of pace in recent staying events. Anderton knows that style would spell curtains for Inferno - even with the experienced Michael Coleman in the saddle.
''The canter around and sprint [tempo] - you'd hardly call that a race,'' Anderton said.
''If we don't go good enough, we'll come home and if we go good enough, we'll keep going to the Wellington Cup.''
The Solitaire is nicely tucked up in barrier two and trainer Steve Anderton has engaged Chris Johnson again. She opened at $8.40 on the fixed odds market for the Trentham Stakes, while Inferno opened at $13.
Sprint more open
Meanwhile, assessing tomorrow's group 1 Telegraph Handicap
at Trentham leads to one inevitable conclusion - confusion, Mike Dillon of The New Zealand Herald writes.
Last year's winner, Guiseppina, is back, with her chances something of a mystery compared with 12 months ago. Then there are a dozen others who could win the sprint.
However, Guiseppina has several factors in her favour. The first is she races best when fresh - she went into last year's Telegraph without a race in two months - and she has not raced since December 15. The second is that she will be wearing blinkers for the first time.
If her performances have a common thread this preparation it is that her finishing sprints have lacked the intensity she produced to come from near last to win last year's Telegraph.
Blinkers just might be the key.
''James [McDonald] always said that he wondered what she would do if tried in blinkers,'' co-trainer Steven Ramsay said.
''She has galloped in blinkers a couple of times lately and worked really well.''
The track is likely to be far from good. If rain continues until race time it will suit the likes of Xanadu and Burgundy much better than Guiseppina. Co-trainers Bev and Ken Kelso do not mind what sort of track Xanadu strikes.
''She performs on all tracks from good to dead to soft, so she should be fine,'' Ken Kelso said.
''Obviously we wouldn't want it to be any worse than that for her first-up run, but that's unlikely.''
Jason Bridgman said he was happier with Burgundy than he had been before the Railway.
''This race will be more like a 1400m race and at Ellerslie he was flat out the whole way. He was a sitting duck from the home turn that day. This will be a more to his liking and his record on dead footing is excellent.''
