It may only have a six-horse maiden event at the Waiarapa New Year picnic meeting but the way he dispatched his rivals indicated that the son of Rip Van Winkle and the Don Eduardo mare All In Black has potential considerably above average.
Times never tell the whole story but All In Mana’s 1:22.61 compared very favourably with the slightly slower time returned by Maltese Ruby when she was successful in the following event, a R75 contest. It’s also worth noting that the mare carried 4.5kg less than did All In Mana and that he spent most of the 1400 journey traveling three wide without cover.
All In Mana is nominated for both the Levin Classic and the NZ Derby in March. He may struggle to gain a start in the former event but he is a horse to keep in mind for the Ellerslie Group 1 contest – especially if the track is rain-affected. My theory is that whatever he achieves on a firm track, he has a strong chance of surpassing it on rain-affected going. Have a look at his trial wins and you will see what I mean.
Anyway, Ellerslie owes us. I really did think that another recommended mating, Fully Funded, was a huge chance in the Railway Handicap. When he drew a decent barrier, I was seriously confident. But there’s something inherently unreliable about Auckland, isn’t there? Think the perennial rugby under-achievers, the Blues (now there’s a well-named team!) – and if you need some more evidence, what about the ill-named Warriors? All that talent and zip to show for it.
Moving on to more cheerful thoughts, I can confirm that I have almost completed this year’s Karaka Yearling Sales analysis. Book One is very strong; Books Two and Three not so much. I’m clearly going to have to re-structure the pricing of the analyses. If you’re interested, do feel free to get in touch.
