By MIKE DILLON
Bruce McLeod has spent two years getting Watch Officer back to his best, but does not believe the old fella can win tomorrow's $40,000 Taumarunui Gold Cup at Te Rapa.
"Van Winkle has only to line up in the same condition as he was on the day when we beat him at Tauranga to win," he said yesterday.
Watch Office beat Van Winkle by a long neck in the Kiwifruit Whakatane Cup, giving him 3kg.
This time Van Winkle gets 4.5kg off Watch Officer and McLeod concedes defeat on that point.
"We had to have everything go his way to give him 3kg, we can't give him 4.5kg.
"I've got a very high opinion of Van Winkle, I think he's the best winter galloper we've seen for a while."
We were all saying the same thing about Watch Officer until a mystery virus flattened him last season.
Wanganui trainer Evan Rayner confirmed yesterday Van Winkle is at least as well as he was at Tauranga.
"I freshened him after Tauranga and I thought I'd get away with him in that condition over 1600m at Trentham two weeks ago.
"But the footing was very sticky and he got caught down in the worst of it. Lance [O'Sullivan] said he simply couldn't sprint in that type of ground."
Rayner says Van Winkle is properly fit this time.
"His trackwork has been first class."
After the Tauranga defeat Lance O'Sullivan felt the horse would have been better being ridden off the pace rather than behind the leaders, where he was instructed to position him.
With that in mind plus the weight factor, Van Winkle is the obvious favourite.
Rayner said if Van Winkle wins tomorrow he will be seriously looking at the group one $350,000 Kelt Capital Stakes at Hastings.
"Why not? Last year there were some older handicappers there for the race and we don't seem to have many younger ones coming through apart from Kaapstad Way and he'll be in Australia.
"The likes of Showella are retired to stud and if we happened to get a few showers of rain before the Kelt, he'd be right in there with a chance.
Watch Officer can still be the danger. He's very well right now and will relish the tough grind 2100m at Te Rapa at this time of year can throw up.
Just There was not far behind Van Winkle in fourth place in the Whakatane Cup and with that run plus his subsequent third at Ruakaka he should be ready to go close to winning one. He won this last year.
His Destiny is close to a win. He was only a long neck and a long head behind Watch Officer in his Tauranga win and was not the same horse on the firmer footing at Ruakaka at his only subsequent start. This race suits him much better.
The same could be said for Takanini mare Gyspy Moth. She did not look comfortable on the tricky Trentham footing when beaten favourite last start, in contrast to when she flew home in different winter footing to be just beaten at Tauranga the start before.
With a decent pull in the weights with only 51kg, she poses a threat to the favourites.
Central Districts visitors On Call and Black Dowie are other considerations.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Latest from Sport
Herald Hat-trick sports quiz: April 24
Can you go three for three and earn a hat-trick?