Racing: Tuhikaramea duo out to clear advantage

By MIKE DILLON

Graeme Rogerson is usually supremely confident, but he found training partner Keith Hawtin too much to handle over Clear Advantage's chances in the $25,000 Wedgewood Stud Stakes at Ruakaka.

"No, stop it," pleaded Rogerson when Hawtin told him the filly was unbeatable in Saturday's feature.

In stoic racing style, Hawtin told only his training partner of his opinion, but was happy to expand after Clear Advantage overcame atrocious gale force wind and rain to run away with the feature.

"I galloped her with Tasman Raider on our inside track last week.

"We use the same markers for the inside and outside tracks and if they run the last 600m in 35 on the outside it's a winning gallop. If they run 33.5 on the inside track they'll also win.

"Clear Advantage ran 1000m and beat Tasman Raider by two lengths under a stranglehold and ran 33.5.

"When Tasman Raider won at Matamata on Thursday, I said to Graeme, "this filly can't get beaten on Saturday."

"But I wasn't going to say that publicly - everyone would think I was an idiot."

Ability was not the only measuring stick at Ruakaka. The incredibly strong winds dictated the pattern and results of several races and Hawtin is relieved the big race was not one of them.

"There is no doubt that four or five races on the day would have had different winners in different conditions."

Horses faced a severe head-on buffeting down the back straight then had to contend with being pushed off balance when the wind was side-on on the bend between the 700m and home turn.

"You just can't ride a race," said one of the game's true tacticians, Peter Johnson.

Clear Advantage's rider Gary Grylls said he has not ridden in worse conditions.

On paper the clear disadvantage to Clear Advantage was her No14 barrier and that proved to be on the money, but for a completely different reason.

The negative was not the extra ground the filly covered, but the additional buffeting she copped from being more exposed to the wind sitting wide outside the leaders.

Matthew Williamson led on well-fancied Playful Fingers and said the wind helped beat his mount, even though she was shielded in part by the winner sitting outside her.

"That was a fabulous effort of Clear Advantage to cop what she did and race away and win easily."

The trainers' premiership now looks certain for Hawtin and Rogerson and this was a stylish way to remove any doubt.

The only question it left was, just how good might Clear Advantage prove to be.

"She's something special - they just can't do what she did," said Rogerson immediately after the race.

Rogerson will almost certainly aim the filly at the rich Princess series in Sydney during the spring.

"She is perfect for Sydney racing because she can run time and keep going. The remarkable thing about here is that she is still so green - she's still got to learn.

"After Sydney I'd like to take her to America. Her part-owner Eric Watson is in America watching Paris Dream run in California this week and I'm meeting with him in England in a week's time. I'll discuss this filly's future with him then."

Rogerson was not aware until after the win that the race has been stripped of its listed stakes rating after this running.

"That's crazy. This is a terrific line-up of horses, there will be four or five stakes winners come out of this race.

"We're trying to build New Zealand racing, not tear it down. I just can't believe they can do that.

"A couple of years ago I set a smart horse in Life Of Riley for this race and he finished second.

"Do you know what beat him? Sunline.

"This filly was not ready earlier in the season and the industry needs races like this for horses like her.

"The club tell me they're going to raise the stake to $40,000. It deserves to be a stakes race."