Mick On Monday: Aussies after Canterbury’s biggest races

West Coast is chasing a fourth straight Grand National but needs a new jockey. Photo / Peter Rubery

New Zealand’s greatest jumper could have an Aussie jockey in his bid to win a historic fourth straight Grand National Steeplechase.

West Coast heads to Riccarton for his very special assignment on August 9, taking in the Koral Steeplechase a week earlier on his way through.

He looked on track for the challenge when running a close second in the Hawke’s Bay Steeples last week, a race that trainer Mark Oulaghan admitted his hulking stable star may need as it was his first steeplechase of the winter.

But West Coast will need a new jockey for Riccarton as his regular rider Shaun Fannin is the co-trainer and rider of Jesko, who is also heading to the Grand National as the $1.80 favourite.

Oulaghan says he is looking at an Australian jockey to partner West Coast at the Grand National meeting.

“We are looking across the Tasman and will know more this week,” Oulaghan told the Herald.

“That is the plan but if that doesn’t pan out then we will have to look around the locals for somebody who suits.”

Oulaghan says West Coast has come through last Sunday’s run well as has stablemate Berry The Cash, who was third in the Hawkes Bay Hurdles and is the $3 favourite for the Grand National Hurdles run the same day as the Steeples.

Domination continues

The Australian domination of New Zealand’s best harness horses continued in effortless fashion at the Inter Dominion Finals in Brisbane on Saturday night.

And they are now set to bring one of their most powerful ever New Zealand Cup teams to Addington.

Leap To Fame continued his relentless march up the pecking order of all-time greats when he strolled to the front in the first lap of the A$1 million ($1.09m) final and never looked like getting beaten.

Trainer-driver Grant Dixon will now aim him at the IRT New Zealand Cup at Addington in November 11 where his older half-brother and two-time Cup winner Swayzee, from New South Wales, will join him.

While a lot can happen between now and November 11, it is hard to believe New Zealand has a horse who can beat either of the two Aussie heroes, let alone both.

Which is why Leap To Fame is paying $1.50 to win the Cup, Swayzee $4.50 and Don’t Stop Dreaming is the most favoured of the locals at $10.

There was no more joy for the Kiwis in the A$500,000 Interdom Trot Final on Saturday either as Victorian star Arcee Phoenix bolted in after holding the early lead, meaning the two Inter Dominion results mirrored that of the two huge-money slot races at Cambridge on April 4.

Bet N Win, beautifully driven by Bob Butt, was a solid second but had every chance, while Oscar Bonevena stormed into third after being trapped back in the field on slowish sectionals.

While the transtasman trotting ranks look relatively even, the reality is the Australian pacers are enjoying a period of domination over their Kiwi rivals unseen since the days of Popular Alm and Gammalite in the early 1980s.

There have been some great Australian eras since, most notably when Blacks A Fake, I’m Themightyquinn and Smoken Up were all rocking and rolling at the same time 15 years ago.

But rarely have the Australian pacers been able to win the richest races so regularly, not only at home but also in New Zealand.

As annoying as that may be for the pacing parochials, it does set up a potentially vintage New Zealand Cup at Addington come November.

O’Brien’s Kiwi connection

World champion Aidan O’Brien may have a horse Kiwi racing fans can get behind.

While O’Brien, who trains predominantly for racing giants Coolmore in Ireland, sends horses to Australia for the richest races, he has never raced one in this country.

O’Brien unleashed a very promising youngster at the Irish Oaks meeting at the Curragh on Saturday, a powerful son of Frankel who bolted in under superstar jockey Ryan Moore.

“He’s a lovely big horse, he hasn’t a clue what he is doing yet,” O’Brien said.

“He’s massive, the power and size of him.”

The name of the promising newcomer: New Zealand.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.