Mick On Monday: Dreary derby for Kiwis but some Easter bonuses today

Ka Ying Rising is chasing his 19th consecutive victory at Sha Tin tonight. Photo / Alex Evers, HKJC

A wet track is the only excuse trainer Roger James can come up with for Road To Paris’ derby disappointment in Sydney on Saturday.

The New Zealand Derby winner never looked a winning chance in the Australian equivalent, battling into seventh after racing back in the field for much of the classic.

The A$2 million derby was won by Green Spaces, trained by ex-pat Kiwi horseman Bjorn Baker.

“Zac [Purton, jockey] got off him and said he didn’t handle the track,” James told the Herald from Sydney yesterday.

“While the times were still pretty good, we got a lot of rain during the meeting and I don’t think he handled it so there isn’t much we can do about that.”

Road To Paris will now return home to spell but with plenty of options next season with the ability to be competitive at a range of distances from 1600m potentially all the way up to the 3200m of the major cups.

That doesn’t mean the James/Wellwood stable are finished in Sydney for the autumn though.

Their last-start New Zealand Breeders Stakes winner She’s A Dealer will head there next week for the A$250,000 Japan Racing Association Plate, a Group 3 that will give them the opportunity to step her back up to 2000m.

“She is ready for a 2000m race now and we’d love to get some Australian black type with her,” says James.

While she won at Group 1 level over 1600m last week, She’s A Dealer was fifth in the Queensland Oaks over 2200m last season and could find her sweet spot over 2000m next season.

Closer to home the stable produced one of the winners of the day at Ellerslie on Saturday when Solid Gold bolted away with a strong maiden race.

The sister of former ATC Derby winner Major Beel will now chase her own black type in the Trelawney Stud Championships back at Ellerslie on April 18.

MONDAY BONUS

While Purton had no joy with Road To Paris he can expect a more successful association with another Kiwi galloper in Hong Kong today.

In a Easter Monday bonus for fans of truly great horses Ka Ying Rising will chase his 19th consecutive victory in the HK$5,350,000 Sprint Cup, a Group 2 over his pet 1200m distance.

Ka Ying Rising has drawn barrier five in the seven-horse field and is using the race as a build-up to his final main aim for the season, the Chairman’s Sprint at Sha Tin on FWD Champions Day, April 26.

Today’s race will be shown on Trackside at 7.35pm NZT.

RUAKAKA RETURN

Harness racing returns to the far north today with a grass track meeting at Ruakaka.

It has been over 11 years since a harness racing meeting was last held at the track and the all-weather harness racing track is no longer in use.

Many of today’s races are named after some of the legends of Northland harness racing and the old track hosted some racing greats over the years, including Young Quinn who finished second in a mile race there in 1980, his first start back in New Zealand after his successful North American career.

Grass track harness racing is rare in the northern half of the North Island, although Taupo did host its first meeting in January.

While the size of the track would logically suggest winners can come from back in the field, the fact thoroughbred tracks aren’t as banked as those usually used by standardbreds often means grass track harness meeting end up favouring those racing handy and, most importantly, up against the rail.

Mr Putt (R3, No.1) should fit that criteria today and looks the best bet on a card where the Wallis/Hackett and Blanchard stables could have some success.

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.