Racing: Delicious matchup on cards

Wahid, Darci Brahma and Mi Jubilee - a mouth-watering clash is coming up.

All three have been declared certain starters in the $120,000 Ford Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes on March 5.

The Wahid-Darci Brahma matchup would be worth more than the price of admission by itself.

But the way Mi Jubilee destroyed - and destroyed is the appropriate word - the opposition in Saturday's $100,000 Robin, Duke Of Bedford Matamata Breeders Stakes told you the colts are not going to get it easy.

The form study for the Sires Produce is already on the board - Wahid ran past Mi Jubilee by 2.8 lengths in the Wakefield Stakes at Trentham when they met.

But the filly's trainer, Stephen Crutchley, is adamant Mi Jubilee was way below full fitness that day.

And Crutchley, 27, said that before Saturday's stunning win, not afterwards when in the glory of victory adrenalin can sometimes loosen even the most circumspect tongue.

On a day of startling performances, Mi Jubilee was literally stunning. She tore away in the home straight to win by 4 3/4 lengths and pulled up as though she had not raced.

Pulcinella ran on strongly into second ahead of outsider Missy Elliot, with the favourite, Love Diamonds, weakening out to finish 11th after starting from an outside barrier and having a fairly tough run outside the leaders.

Crutchley said later that Mi Jubilee, a Howbaddouwantit filly, ate up the feed she was given at the stable of local trainer Paul Jenkins where she stayed Friday night, and had her head straight into the feed bin again after she arrived home in Wanganui at 1.30 yesterday morning.

There is a secret in that, but only for Crutchley.

Mi Jubilee had a long campaign, despite having raced only seven times, and there is no doubt she looked better and raced better on Saturday than at any previous stage.

"It's the way I train her," Crutchley says, but he wouldn't elaborate, even when pressed.

Back home yesterday morning he said: "I do it with a couple of others and I'm not sure they would be happy if I said something.

"What I do seems to keep her happy and fresh. Some say I've raced this filly too much this season, but it doesn't look like it when you see her. They [horses trained by this special method] don't become tired horses."

Crutchley started as a share milker in Tarananki and has always had a keen interest in racehorses.

He moved to Wanganui, pre-trained a lot of horses, essentially for Kevin Myers, and is building a useful team of 12 around him while also continuing to pre-train.

His results are excellent: five individual winners from his small team already this season.

Crutchley says he would like to use the training methods he uses on Mi Jubilee on all his team but time does not allow that.

"It's very time consuming and I can only do two or three. I'd certainly do the lot if there were enough hours in the day."

Mi Jubilee is owned by Wanganui produce producer Gordon Lambert, who bred the filly and has a weanling sister and a yearling colt.

"If you think this is a nice filly, and she is, wait till you see the colt," said Lambert.

It is no surprise to learn Lambert used to be a horse breaker. He looks like he could wrestle a 500kg thoroughbred to the ground and makes a physical statement under his ever-present Akubra hat.

"Every time I put this on they win," he says, and you wonder quite what he means.

Lambert says he has won 100 races as an owner, a decent percentage of those in Australia.

Saturday's victory once again indicated that Howbaddouwantit, in his first season, could be one of the sires of the next few years.

"We were very pleased with his sale results at Karaka and there is tremendous interest in him," said Rex Fell, who with brother Gerald stands Howbaddouwantit at their Fairdale Stud.

"And the great part is that we own him ourselves, so he'll be here forever, unlike some stallions."

It was impossible to find an unlucky runner.

Breeders Stakes

* Mi Jubilee left a talented field struggling in her wake at Matamata on Saturday.

* The brilliant filly is now heading to the $120,000 Ford Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes and a clash with Darci Brahma and Wahid.

* Trainer Stephen Crutchley says he uses unique training methods on Mi Jubilee, but won't declare what they are.