Racing: 2006 Easter winner seeks riches

Former Kiwi galloper Rags To Riches is trying to do a Sleepy Fox in the $200,000 Land Pride Easter Handicap at Ellerslie on Saturday.

That is, winning the Easter four years apart.

The mighty Sleepy Fox did that, the difference being that Sleepy Fox in the 1940s also won the two Easters in between, achieving a four-straight feat that had not been seen previously or since.

Since the rising 10-year-old Rags To Riches won the Easter in 2006 he has virtually spent the interim racing from Liam Birchley's Queensland stable.

Birchley and a group of Australian owners leased Rags To Riches from Hallmark Stud's Denny Baker, who Birchley befriended during the years he spent learning his trade in New Zealand in the 1980s.

Rags To Riches is taking in Saturday's group one race on his way to being returned to Baker's care.

"Although if he happens to win this by five lengths I might have to reconsider his future," said Birchley, who won this year's Karaka Million at Ellerslie with Sister Havana.

Rags to Riches won only three races in Australian, but he picked up more than A$200,000 and Birchley says the ownership team had a huge amount of fun with the horse.

"He didn't always have a lot of luck.

"Like in his last start in Brisbane. He doesn't like racing inside horses and when he led early something took him on and my rider kicked up to keep the other horse out.

"The horse that was trying to head him broke down after 300m and dropped away and it left him five lengths in front and charging.

"Those sorts of things were always going wrong for him.

"I'd have loved to have got him as a 3-year-old rather than a 6-year-old."

Rags To Riches will be ridden on Saturday by Michael Coleman, who was in the saddle when Cambridge trainer Ralph Manning won the Easter with him four years ago.

This year's Easter has drawn a magnificent line-up, given the tough schedule some of the topline horses have come through.

It includes the first three home in last week's $200,000 NZ Bloodstock Breeders Stakes - Juice, Culminate and Obsession - as well as Sir Slick, Run Like Al, Telegraph winner Vonusti, Tell A Tale, talented filly November Rain and last year's winner Prince Kaapstad.

Yesterday's barrier draw produced a nightmare result for several runners.

Culminate has drawn gate No 21, Run Like Al, No 18; Tell A Tale, No 19; and Prince Kaapstad, No 20. Each of those will come in a few spots if there are no scratchings from the main field.

Juice, who likes to race handy, has come up with No 16.

The field for the $45,000 Network Visuals Champagne Stakes, the only time the juveniles race at 1600m, is headed by Lion Tamer and Hoofit.

Lion Tamer came off some fine form before finishing ninth in the Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes on April 3, after getting a long way off the leaders in the early stages. Hoofit made ground into sixth place in the 1200m Diamond Stakes at Ellerslie on March 13, then finished fourth in the Manawatu Sires Produce when stepping up to 1400m.

Fields for the feature events:

R2 12.20: Stella Artois 2200, $35,000, rating 90, 2200m. - Calatrava (6) 58; Propagate (8) 57; Leadership (4) 56; Gallant (1) 55; El Torro (5) 54.5; A Chance To Dream (7) 54; Bubbles (2), Dancing Chief (9) 53.5; Vivaldi's Gone (3), Fourmula (10), The Flaneur (11) 53.

R4 1.30: Network Visuals Champagne Stakes, $45,000, 2yo sw, 1600m. - Lion Tamer (9), Hoofit (4), Red General (7), Laughing Gor (10), Barside (12), Beam Me Up (8), Juzchillin (1), Chai Kau (3), Donnybrook (5), Condescender (11) 56; Lady Carolyn (6), Hot Pursuit (2), Voodoo (13) 54.5.

R5 2.01: VRC Trophy, $35,000, opn hcp, 1200m. - Martini Red (8) 58; Yanna Marie (2) 57.5; Jazzella (1) 56; Albercheno (6), Irish Colleen (5) 55; Dashing Donna (3) 54.5; Castles Burning (9), De Los Angeles (4) 53.5; Pennacchio (7) 53.

R8 3.54: Land Pride Easter Handicap, $200,000, opn hcp, 1600m. - Sir Slick (8) 59; Spin Around (13) 57.5; Rags To Riches (4) 57; Culminate (21), Run Like Al (18), Vonusti (2) 56.5; Gallions Reach (10), Juice (16), Mandela (22), Tell A Tale (19) 55.5; Irish Opera (6) 54.5; Prince Kaapstad (20) 53.5; Arlington (7), La Etoile (1) 53; Our Star Pupil (9) 51.5; November Rain (14), Obsession (15), Time Keeper (12), Keffiya (3), All In Tempo (11), Back In Black (5), A Chance To Dream (17) 51. Emergencies: Keffiya, All In Tempo, Back In Black, A Chance To Dream.

AJC Australian Derby placegetter Monaco Consul will push on with his campaign after drawing little interest from studs as a stallion prospect and could line up in the Sydney Cup on Saturday week.

The son of rising star stallion High Chaparral won the Spring Champion Stakes and Victoria Derby and his owners are weighing up their options.

The Sydney Cup appeals, as the colt has only 53.5kg, as does the Queensland Derby in June.

"It was a much improved effort on Saturday and it is interesting that his best form has been in Australia," trainer Mike Moroney said. "It seems his only bad form has been in New Zealand so we will probably push on.

"Damien [Oliver] jumped off and said he didn't think the two miles would be a problem, so whatever happens in the meantime he looks to have an exciting spring ahead.

"It was an amazing feat for High Chaparral to sire the placegetters in the Derby, but we have not had a lot of interest from studs."

EASTER HANDICAP
* Rags To Riches will be attempting to win Easters four years apart.
* The 9-year-old veteran has more recently been racing out of Liam Birchley's Queensland stable.
* He will be ridden by Michael Coleman, who was in the saddle in 1996.
* The group one metric mile has drawn an outstanding field.

- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: AAP