Racing: Cup open to fairytale possibilities

Could there be a more fitting winner of tomorrow's $50,000 Taumarunui Cup at Te Rapa than group one-winning warhorse King Keitel?

The Doomben Cup, Counties Cup and Foxbridge Plate winner turns 11 two days after the listed stakes' 2100m feature and a Taumarunui Cup triumph would be an appropriate farewell for one of racing's grand campaigners.

But further down the field, there are several horses who could well produce a fairytale result to the Taumarunui Racing Club feature.

Millnorm, who like King Keitel registered his maiden win at Te Awamutu in 1998, has made a habit of winning winter feature staying contests. But the grey 9-year-old's missing jewel is a feature win at Te Rapa. He has failed to win at the track in 14 starts.

Wanganui galloper Van Winkle would make a great winner. He won the Taumarunui Cup in 2001, returned the following year to win it again, trekked north to run second in 2003 and last year was a creditable fifth.

Van Winkle has since returned to the course to win a hurdle race and run second in the Waikato Hurdles. His last two races have produced victories in the Manawatu Hurdles and the Winter Oats, a feature flat race at Trentham.

Then there's Lordship who will be out to emulate Van Winkle when he attempts to make it successive Taumarunui Cups after he landed last year's prize with a storming late finish.

And that's just the top four names in the field.

A key leg in tomorrow's $500,000 Pick6, the Taumarunui Cup is a very open affair.

The most important lead-up race could prove to be the Whangarei Cup, run at Ruakaka two weeks ago and won by the Donna and Dean Logan-trained Northern Beau.

In a race suited to the backrunners, Northern Beau kicked well from an on-pace position to win for rider Michael Walker, denying a slashing late run from topweight King Keitel by a nose, with three lengths back to Expectalite.

Northern Beau concedes 1kg to both those horses tomorrow and has yet to prove himself adept racing the left-handed way of racing but he undoubtedly has the ability to win.

Expectalite had beaten King Keitel at Avondale the start before, also beating home Taumarunui Cup rivals Millnorm, Mr Hefner, Tantalic, Mike and Scarlet Rose that day. His rider in both those, Lisa Cropp, has opted to ride Mr Hefner.

The Robert Priscott-trained Mr Hefner was a comfortable 2000m progressive grade winner at Te Awamutu last week but strikes far harder opposition.

Last season's premier rider, Leith Innes, rides Expectalite, while Andrew Calder, who has ridden Lordship in his two most recent starts, has taken the ride on the Paul Jenkins-trained King Keitel.

Matthew Williamson has gained the mount on Lordship.

Calder said his loyalties were with King Keitel's part-owners Westbury Stud but it is a ride he is more than happy to be taking.

"King Keitel has maybe only one or two races left. This may even be his last run," Calder said.

"But he's racing well and under topweights. His run at Ruakaka was phenomenal. He was giving away 5kg. It showed he was still happy to be racing and still willing to dig in.

"Back left-handed is a big plus for him. He's tended to lug in a bit in his last two races with his arthritis."

Matamata's Jim Collett rode King Keitel last start at Ruakaka and said lugging in probably cost the horse a win. But Collett said he would not want to be on any other horse than Millnorm, trained by the partnership of his brother, Richard Collett, and Shane Hapeta.

Said Jim Collett: "If Richard lines him up like he did at Avondale last start he should be hard to beat.

"He wasn't suited there by the sticky track but he still kept giving. He'll run in the first three for sure. My only concern is the lack of a pacemaker because he's a true stayer.

"But you can never discount a horse of his quality."

- NZPA