Racing: Behaviour better but rogue could resurface

Everyone is patting Toni Croon on the back for turning around the attitude of barrier rogue Bank Note.

It's too early for that, she says.

Bank Note may have strung a win and a third together in his last two starts going into tomorrow's $20,000 Cole-N-Co Mile at Ellerslie, but Croon is not convinced she has completely turned the mind of the horse that punters love to hate.

If Bank Note goes back to his old tricks of totally refusing to gallop when he leaves the barrier stalls tomorrow, Croon will be the least surprised.

"Don't worry, he could still do it," she said yesterday.

Bank Note won four races from the Trevor and Stephen McKee stable and looked on the way to group one success when he decided digging his heels in was a better option.

When the troubled galloper fell foul of stewards because of his tricks, the McKees suggested to owner John Wells that a change of scenery might work some benefit.

Enter Toni Croon, who handles a much smaller team at Takanini. That means plenty of time to devote to one horse and, believe it, Bank Note needs it.

"He's hard to keep happy," says Croon with total resignation.

"I take him to Pukekohe to swim almost every other day. He gets hand walked - anything that will keep his routine changing.

"He rarely gets to see the track because generally when he does he's quick to tell you: 'I'm sick of this'.

"He's a horse that needs Prozac."

Perhaps, but Bank Note can still pick them up and put them down quickly when he decides to.

His Te Rapa win two starts back had rider Allan Peard saying it was just a matter of when to let him go to win.

And his third to All's Well and Ben Sparta here last start was terrific because of where he came from at the back of the field.

He meets the same pair again under similar conditions and Croon thinks there is improvement in him.

"A stone bruise broke out after his win and I wasn't as happy going into his last run as I am for this start."

Bank Note will be ridden by Lisa Cropp, who won on the horse at Ruakaka last season. Allan Peard has a problem with a disk in his back and will not be riding.