(ROD GALLEGOS is a senior presenter and commentator with Sky Racing and Sky Sports Radio.)

A somewhat disappointing response to the Inglis Classic at Rosehill on Saturday begs two questions - is the meeting poorly programmed or is there a lack of numerical strength in the two-year-old contingent this season?

Originally, the Classic attracted nine nominations but Bossdon City was ruled ineligible. Extending the nominations eventually boosted the tally to 11 and it has ended up with eight at final acceptance time.

While the $250,000 Inglis Classic is run only a week after the $2million Magic Millions, that shouldn't be a problem because the two races draw from different sales' pools.

This will be deemed to be swimming against a popular tide but I always believe there is too much pressure on our two-year-olds too early. A wise racing authority told me years ago that, ideally, the equine babies shouldn't start racing until autumn.

That, of course, would cause mayhem with programming. Magic Millions, the Blue Diamond and the Golden Slipper all would have to be pushed back later in the year.

Would that be a bad thing? Well, it wouldn't be if it meant that the two-year-olds had a longer racing life.

No doubt I have just wasted valuable space with the proposition.  It is hard to rock the boat of tradition as the wheels of progress in racing tend to turn slowly.

But a man can dream, can't he?

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WHILE there was an eerie air over the Magic Millions festivities last week, coming in the wake of the horrific floods in Queensland, the actual racing was revealing.

Certainly, the Magic Millions Classic winner, Karuta Queen, is a quality filly. There may be arguments from some hard-to-please critics that the opposition may not have been exceptionally strong.

But the fact remains it was the best we have at the moment and the Queanbeyan-trained speedster performed with ample audacity and authority to suggest she will be a leading contender for the Golden Slipper.

Furthermore, racing on Saturday proved that the Gold Coast racetrack must be one of the most resilient in Australia. Undoubtedly it proved to be an impeccable wet-weather grass course.

When it is considered there are about 60 meetings a year on the track and this time it was forced to absorb almost unprecedented rainfall figures, it was remarkable how well it raced.

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THANKFULLY, this week the final hurdle to the merger of the AJC and STC was removed.

A last-ditch stand by dissidents took place at an STC Extraordinary General Meeting, with a vote called to remove four STC directors - John Holloway, Wilf Mula, Michael Crismale and Max Whitby. The resolution, rightfully, was defeated when 70 percent of the 329 members who attended voted against it.

Now the merger should go ahead - as will Sydney racing.

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AS FOR this weekend of racing, the Inglis Classic may unearth another top chance for the Golden Slipper, which is run on April 2.

The rather quaintly named, Pane In The Glass - the owners may have set a tongue-twisting trap for racecallers - has the score on the board to be a winning prospect.

From the power-packed Patinack Farm team, she is unbeaten in two starts. From a debut win at Eagle Farm in November her only other appearance was a most impressive win at Randwick in December.

Brisbane jockey, Jim Byrne, has ridden the filly for her two wins and he is hoping to make it a hat-trick on Saturday.

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AUSTRALIAN interest in New Zealand on Saturday centres on Swift Alliance (Gai Waterhouse), First Command (Lee Freedman) and Monton (Tim Martin) contesting the Group One Telegraph Handicap in Wellington.

Despite the Aussie influence I am going to stick with Mufhasa. His first-up run on January 1 was solid in the Railway Stakes in Auckland when he was just one-and-a-half lengths from the winner. While he has drawn terribly (gate 20), that just means I will get better odds.