Racing: Aussie raider has ideal NZ preparation

Barry Lew adopted Karloo Mick's training programme from one of the greats of trotting, Ces Devine. Photo / Courier Mail

The greatest trainer in New Zealand Cup history taught Barry Lew how to win tomorrow's classic with Karloo Mick - and they never even spoke.

Australian bush trainer Lew and his 9-year-old battler have emerged as the fairytale story of tomorrow's $1 million classic at Addington.

And Lew said he would not even be at Addington if it wasn't for the late Canterbury trainer Ces Devine.

Devine won six New Zealand Cups, including three on end with False Step, but is best remembered for 1979 winner, the brilliant but crazy Lord Module.

As a young horseman Lew travelled from his hometown of Dubbo to campaign a horse at Harold Park during the 1980 Interdominions and it was there he saw the strangest workout regime he had ever come across.

"Devine was there with Lord Module and he was working him flat out for a lap, then walking him for five minutes and then flat out for a lap again.

"He did it for about an hour and while I never even spoke to him [Devine] I remember thinking how fit it must have made his horse.

"I always thought if I got a horse good enough I'd train him like that and Mick is the first one I had who would handle it. If you did it with a normal horse you would kill them."

Ironically, Lew never knew Devine had trained six Cup winners until yesterday. "Looks like I was copying the right man," he said.

The equine assault course has worked as Karloo Mick has won 47 races, the latest downing many of our open-class stars at Ashburton two weeks ago.

"I still work him that hard, especially when we are aiming at a big race.

"This week I have been running him flat out, driving him with the whip, for one minute down the beach then wading in the water for five minutes and then doing it again, about six times in a row."

That sort of fitness has made Karloo Mick a star at two Interdominions, including this year on the Gold Coast, where he beat Auckland Reactor twice in two meetings.

Throughout his career the iron horse has often been through lean patches, mainly because he suffers from asthma, meaning he saves his best for when he is away from dusty Dubbo, particularly on the beach.

Lew said his pride and joy would go into tomorrow's Cup in almost perfect shape, even though he has drifted to $8 after a battling third in the Cup trial last Wednesday.

"That was my fault because I drove him and I went too slow.

"But that is no surprise because I can't drive, not at this level.

"But he will have a great driver [Greg Bennett] and 30kg less to carry in the Cup," said Lew.

Karloo Mick has been very fast away from his standing starts on this trip and could well be the first leader tomorrow, giving Bennett plenty of options. While he may not have the speed of Monkey King or top mare Kiwi Ingenuity, he might be the best stayer in the race.

"I'll be happy if he runs in the first six," said Lew, putting on his best small-town boy lost in the big city impression.

"But I'd like it a lot more if he won.

"Either way we will have fun. I don't get to go to the races with 25,000 people very often. At Dubbo we get a crowd of about 25, without the thousand on the end."

NEW ZEALAND CUP

* The $1 million New Zealand Trotting Cup is at Addington tomorrow.
* Aussie veteran Karloo Mick has emerged as the fairytale story of the race.
* His training regime is based on the method of a New Zealand Cup legend.
* Karloo Mick is the only horse to have beaten Auckland Reactor twice in mobile start racing.