By Jonny Turner
Her horse may not bring winning form to Saturday’s all-teal event at Rangiora but driver Sarah O’Reilly certainly does.
After racking up wins at both Oamaru and Manawatu last week the junior driver will test herself against some of the South Island’s most talented reinswomen in the ‘Rangiora Supports Team Teal Pace’.
With eighths, ninths and tenths in her last four starts, Eastwood Isabella does exactly have the kind of formline that suggests she is a leading chance.
However, the James McDonald trained mare brings a good amount of ability and excellent standing start manners to 2000m event.
And she looks a sneaky chance of helping O’Reilly beat out her fellow reinswomen and raise more money for the Team Teal campaign.
“She is a good stepper from the standing start and I do think she will in the mix at the finish,” O’Reilly said.
“If she can step away like she usually does she should be able to get a good run somewhere and go a nice race.”
Team Teal’s leading contributor Samantha Ottley has been rated the biggest chance of racking up another win in the ‘Rangiora Supports Team Teal Pace’.
Ottley drives the $2.80 early favourite Miss Impression who comes into race 7 after finishing second to Ifyousayso at Addington earlier this month.
Eastwood Isabella opened at $11 win odds and a place price of $3.30.
O’Reilly reunites with Mosaic Art ($4.50 & $1.65) in race 9 after the pair combined for an impressive win at Oamaru last week.
Though the Michael Purdon trained filly may not have beaten a field of stars, she sat parked throughout to hand her rivals a beating.
“I was quite happy with her, she didn’t beat much horse-wise, but she showed enough to say she could win another couple of races,” O’Reilly said.
O’Reilly expects Mosaic Art to strip fitter and benefit from the addition of sliding blinds to her bridle.
“She is still learning the game, she has got sliding blinds on on Saturday.”
“So she should be a bit sharper and she should have improved from her run at Oamaru, too.”
O’Reilly will also combine with Chloe Rose ($8.50 & $2.50) who opens her new campaign in race 10.
After a fair trial at Ashburton early this month, the four-year-old ran an improved third in her latest public appearance at the Rangiora workouts.
“She has taken a couple of trials to get fit,” O’Reilly said.
“Hopefully she will be running on, if she trots all the way and she is running on we will be happy with that.”
“She might take a run to get to full fitness, but she has been pleasing us with her work.”
O’Reilly drives another of her employers Cran and Chrissie Dalgety’s runners in race 6.
Shards In Manhattan ($5 & $2) has the ability to feature but will need her driver to find her some clear running from barrier 1 on the second row of the mobile.
“The draw is going to be a bit tricky, the one we follow out isn’t the best but hopefully we can get off at some point,” O’Reilly said.
“She should be able to sprint over the top of most of them.”
“The horse on the outside, Arizonawildcat, has been going good and will be hard to beat.”
“But Shards In Manhatten should be able to win this race with the right run because it is a big drop back for her.”
Shards Of Manhattan ($5 & $2) comes into her 2000m assignment after contesting Off N Gone’s Harness Million Final at Addington last week.
