Fresh off her 1 1/2-length score in the G1 Sistema Railway at Ellerslie on New Year's Day, Volpe Veloce (Aus) (Foxwedge {Aus}) once again garnered favouritism for Saturday's fixture, trading at $3.90 in the early betting, for the 1200-metre G1 J R & N Berkett Telegraph on Jan. 20. A MGSW as a sophomore, the Graham Richardson/Gavin Parker trainee resumed this spring with a win at Te Rapa on Aug. 5 before two unplaced runs at Group 1 level in September. The plucky bay earned a bit of redemption with a win in a Dec. 9 Ellerslie handicap one start before the Railway.
Seven-time Group 1 scorer and New Zealand champion Kawi (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) will do his best to make it an octet of top-level victories for trainer Allan Sharrock. Like Volpe Veloce, the 6-1 second-choice enters on the back of a Group 1 victory, and the 7-year-old was last seen landing the spoils in the Captain Cook S. locally going 1600 metres on Dec. 9. Given some time, he finished second in a Cambridge barrier trial going 935m and should be primed for a big effort.
The Railway second Packing Eagle (NZ) (Pins {Aus}) and third Volks Lightning (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}) both return in this NZ$250,000 event and the former sports a win in the G3 Sweynesse Arawa S. on Oct. 21 after spending his early career in Hong Kong, good for a placing in the 2016 G1 Champions Mile.
Kiwi 2017 champion sprinter Start Wondering (NZ) (Eighth Wonder {NZ}), a dual Group 1 winner, was fourth in the Railway, but Evan Rayner, who trains with his daughter JJ, is confident the 2017 Telegraph runner-up is on the improve.
“He's as well as we can have him,” Rayner told NZ Racing News of his charge, who found Signify (NZ) (Perfectly Ready {Aus}) too good last year. “We just hope there's not too much rain in Wellington. We're as confident as we can be. There might be a lightweight that shoots us down again, but we're very happy with him.”
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