Isaac Lupton is one of Hypnotize's biggest fans, but even he was shaking his head in disbelief after the dour stayer charged to an impressive win in the $35,000 Mad Butcher Pakuranga Hunt Cup at Ellerslie yesterday.
"He's a terrific little horse, but I didn't think he could do it
with 70kg," said the top jumps jockey. "I was proved wrong today and I'm happy."
The win was the third by Hypnotize in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup and it has elevated him to favouritism for the country's toughest event, the Great Northern Steeplechase over 6400m in a fortnight.
Hypnotize has completed the Pakuranga Hunt Cup-Great Northern Steeplechase double twice, in 2007 and 2008.
Last year the son of Yamanin Vital tried the double again, but finished fourth in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup to Havana City then was runner-up to Fair King in the Great Northern.
Hypnotize hadn't started in a steeplechase since last year's Northern when he went around yesterday and it was a training triumph for Raymond Connors, who owns the 11-year-old with his father, Mark. Connors got Hypnotize ready for yesterday's contest with three flat runs, all being unplaced efforts.
Connors knows what is needed to win over the Ellerslie jumps country, particularly in the Great Northern, a race he won as a jockey on Our Jonty.
Lupton was aboard Hypnotize in both Great Northern wins. He has a splendid record in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup, in which he has had nine rides for five wins, a second, a third and a fourth. His first two wins were on Bart in 2005 and Real Tonic the following year.
Lupton went into yesterday's race with success on Counter Punch in the country's other principal steeplechase, the Grand National at Riccarton. He has also won the Riccarton feature on Gauchito Bastado.
Lupton settled Hypnotize off the pace as usual, but the pair worked handier with a round to go, at which stage Kousso had the lead from The Patriarch and Brighton Pier with Fair King, the favourite, in close contention.
Kousso had command turning for home with Fair King looming as a big danger, but at the same time Hypnotize was starting to unwind for Lupton. At the last fence Kousso was distracted by his riderless stablemate Franconero, but Hynotize was too good anyway.
Hypnotize won by six lengths from Kousso with Brushman a length away third.
Hypnotize carried the biggest weight to victory in the event since the introduction of metrics. The previous record weight-carrier was the Alan Kaye-trained Chumson with 69kg in 1977.
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Southern Countess, in the hands of promising jumps rider Matthew Gillies, emerged as a serious prospect for the Great Northern Hurdles when scoring a sound win in the Tony Richards Toyota Hurdles.
She came under attack from Joerok and the favourite Big Brownie early in the run home but, after clearing the last fence, Southern Countess kicked on to race away from Joerok, the mount of Gillies' uncle Jamie. Big Brownie was a useful third.
The Stark South mare is trained at Matamata by Peter Brosnan and is raced by his parents Marj and Sam Brosnan.
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Wanganui trainers Evan and JJ Rayner were the toast of Auckland yesterday when Beau Dane won the K and A Roebuck Construction Interprovincial at New Plymouth.
Beau Dane came off the ballot to get a start in the race which sees each region represented. The scratching of Krash allowed Beau Dane to take the Karaka-trained horse's place in representing Auckland.
It was the fourth win in the novel event for Auckland and the third for the Rayner stable.
"It's the second time we've won the race off the ballot," said Evan Rayner. "We did it with Betcha Wood, too."
Rayner was disappointed to see last-start winner Beau Dane on the ballot and when he was told at 6.30am yesterday the horse had made the field, he was confident of victory.
"I've won this race three times, but this is the strongest field we've been in," said Rayner. "It was Lisa [Allpress] who suggested I put blinkers on him and he's had them on for the last two starts and he's won them both."
Allpress, who is riding the crest of a wave, had her second ride on Beau Dane yesterday and she had the horse in a winning position turning for home.
Beau Dane then kept going strongly to race away to a 3-length win over Taranaki representative I Am Sam.
Isaac Lupton scores his fifth victory in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup and the third win in the event to Hypnotize. Photo / NZPA
Isaac Lupton is one of Hypnotize's biggest fans, but even he was shaking his head in disbelief after the dour stayer charged to an impressive win in the $35,000 Mad Butcher Pakuranga Hunt Cup at Ellerslie yesterday.
"He's a terrific little horse, but I didn't think he could do it
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