Cinderella steps up to Addington company

By Michael Guerin

Steven McRae isn’t kidding himself about the size of the step up in class for Cinderella Franco at Addington tonight.

Because while the unbeaten mare may have the best form on paper heading into Race 9 tonight the reality is a bit different.

Cinderella Franco makes her Addington debut in the 1980m mobile after two dazzling wins on the deep south circuit to start the New Year.

She won her maiden at Omakau by over seven lengths and then backed up four days later on the grass to win her second start by nearly four lengths, both times showing a great kick when asked to go.

Rating that form against Addington on a Friday night is hard enough and made even more so tonight as Cinderella Franco has a second line draw tonight while the $2.20 favourite Mystery Creek gets barrier two.

He is also fresh up tonight but last start finished fourth in the Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington behind Freeze Frame, Allamericanplayer and Jumal, which is a few steps up from the southern circuit.

“It is going to be hard for her to keep winning,” admits McRae.

“It is a big jump up and Addington racing is a lot harder.

“It is also hard to work out what she was beating down south because she did it so easily.

“I usually aim to take horses to that circuit down there as I’m from there and the family all go down so we love it.

“But it is a step up once they come back to Canterbury.”

McRae, who has 30 horses in work, says Cinderella Franco has taken slightly longer to come up this prep after her southern heroics and she will continue to improve with exposure to Addington racing.

“I am sure she will get there but am a little cautious this Friday.”
 
While Mystery Creek will be the one to beat the race should be a good form one heading forward with plenty of depth.

“He trialed okay recently but I thought he had more to give so I have made a few minor gear changes and I think he can show gate speed and be hard to beat,” says his co-trainer Hayden Cullen.

In the trotting ranks Kimberly Butt looks to be the driver to follow tonight with two in-form chances in Prestigious (R5, No.8) and Eurostyle (R7, No.5).

Prestigious has won three of his seven starts and while the lowest assessed horse in a handy trot field he may be the one who ends up going the furthest so his $5.50 opening price looked value.

Eurostyle faces a 35m handicap in the night’s main trot but only four rivals and two of them, Mr Love and Midnight Dash, share that back mark with her.

It took Muscle Mountain to beat her in a Group 1 last start and she looks right back to her best so even from a handicap mark few horses win off at Addington these days she is the one to beat, with so much depending who begins best out of her or Mr Love.