Stephen Marsh can’t take a trick with Ardalio and the frustration has continued with the talented mare drawing poorly again at Matamata on Saturday.

His daughter of Ardrossan finished midfield in the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) and Gr.1 Railway (1200m) from wide barriers and will jump from 12 in a 13-horse field in the Listed Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes (1400m).

“She ran well in both races, and you just wonder how a horse can draw so many bad gates,” Marsh said.

“If she had drawn a good gate on a Dead 4 on Saturday then I would be really confident.

“She is very smart but it also concerns me what the weather will do, she’s a real Good track horse.”

Marsh is keen to start Ardalio regardless, as the timing is ideal ahead of the lucrative Champions Day meeting at Ellerslie on March 7.

“We’ll either run her in the mares’ 1400m (Gr.2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Classic) or the 1200m (Gr.3 Haunui Farm King’s Plate) there,” he said.

Three of Ardalio’s victories have been at Group Three level, including the Almanzor Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie before she finished a close sixth behind Legarto in last season’s Lisa Chittick from the outside barrier.

She ran bravely again for seventh after being caught three deep without cover from another wide alley in last year’s The NZB Kiwi (1500m).

Marsh will also have black-type hopes on Saturday with juvenile King Of The Air in the Gr.3 Fairview Matamata Slipper (1200m) and Doddle in the Listed Matamata Veterinary Services Kaimai Stakes (2000m).

King Of The Air hasn’t raced since his debut victory on a heavily rain-affected track at New Plymouth last month.

“He won it well, he was very professional and jumped to put himself up on the pace,” Marsh said.

“I don’t think he loves a wet track, but he certainly gets through it so any rain around isn’t going to worry him like it might affect a few of the others.

“He’s done nothing wrong since then and is a nice horse and it’s big help to run on the speed.”

Doddle accompanied him south but was all at sea in the ground when unplaced in the Gr.3 Taranaki Cup (1800m).

Prior to that, she had finished runner-up at Tauranga on a dry deck where she gave the winner and stablemate Kiwi Skyhawk a kilo and a-half.

“It was far too heavy for her at New Plymouth, and she was very good late before that,” Marsh said.

“She’s a mare that deserves to get some black-type and I’m sure she will, she just hasn’t had the rub of the green when we’ve had a crack.”

Of his other Matamata runners, Marsh liked the chances of Super Legacy in the Price Racing (1400m) following his breakthrough victory at Te Rapa.

“He won very well last start, and he’s gone the right way since then,” he said.