By Jonny Turner
A tricky autumn got trickier for La Rosa when she drew barrier 1 on the second row in the Nevele R Fillies R Series heat at Forbury Park on Wednesday.
Problems behind the mobile have plagued the Mark Jones trained filly have proved costly, taking her out of play in two recent features.
Jones and driver Samantha Ottley combined to get the filly’s campaign on track with a powerful and faultless last start performance at Addington.
But just a matter of days later the pacer was handed a draw the one draw her trainer didn’t want.
“One on the second row is the one place we didn’t want to draw,” Jones said.
“The second row is where she has her problems scoring up.”
“Hopefully she will be OK but even if she does things right she is still going to be relying on a bit of luck.”
“Town Echo and Off N Gone will probably go forward and she will have to chase them.”
Though her true talent hasn’t been on full display recently, it is clear going by her last start performance that La Rosa’s recent antics haven’t had any effect on her physical capabilities.
“It was pleasing what she did at Addington, I would say just in the last two weeks she has improved a wee bit,” Jones said.
“I am quite happy with the way she is going, put it that way.”
Both the Robert Dunn trained duo of Town Echo (5) and Off N Gone (6) have the advantage of starting from the front line in Wednesday’s 1700m dash.
Town Echo was good in second behind La Rosa in the first start of her new campaign at Addington.
Off N Gone got too far out of her ground in her last start in another heat of the Nevele R Fillies R Series won by Life’s A Beach.
That run was the filly’s first since returning from Auckland after racing in the Northern Oaks and she should strip fitter on Wednesday.
Jones also steps out first starter Miss Serenade in race 4 on Wednesday.
The three-year-old has trialled smartly in Canterbury and looks well placed in a field filled mainly with horses that have had plenty of opportunities in the past.
“In that race, so long as she does things right, she would be awfully hard to beat, I would say.”
Blair Orange takes the reins behind Miss Serenade.
Samantha Ottley drives the Jones trained Artatac in race 8.
The three-year-old has appeared unlucky when held up at vital stages of his last two starts.
Though Jones is not convinced that has been the case.
“He has looked unlucky in his last couple of starts but he has put himself in that position.”
“He is working super but not bringing it to the races, so it just depends on which horse turns up.”
“It is all in the top six inches with him.”
Artatac has drawn a tricky alley in his request to regain form and starts from barrier 7.
