Racing: Feel-good Walker pokes fun at rivals

It was no one specific that Michael Walker poked his tongue out to as he went over the line on Northern Beau at Tauranga on Saturday.

"I was just feeling good about myself, so I turned my head and gave them the old tongue trick," said Walker yesterday.

The $40,000 Kiwifruit Cup field was so far behind Northern Beau at the finish it's doubtful any rival jockey could see Walker's bit of cheek.

After a harrowing couple of months you can sense the feel-good in Michael Walker.

The old self-confidence is perhaps starting to re-emerge - relocating to Mark Walker's Matamata stable has clearly been a good thing.

Although it was the richest stake in the country on Saturday, the $40,000 for the Kiwifruit Cup is a fair way short of the big stakes Walker was riding for in Australia, yet he took genuine delight in winning the race.

The humbleness, perhaps missing on the odd occasion, was there.

Walker is excited about the prospect of the New Zealand Cup at Riccarton in November for Northern Beau.

"He'll run the 3200m, there's no doubt about that.

"The only slight doubt is that he might be a fraction better racing right-handed than the left-handed Riccarton way around but, having said that, the only time I've ridden him left-handed was when he was well beaten at Te Rapa and it could have been the off track that day that beat him.

"The biggest thing now is to make sure he doesn't climb too high in the weights for the New Zealand Cup."

Northern Beau might not be the only Tauranga winner on Saturday that makes it into the big Riccarton race.

Del Roberts is looking the same way with Trebla, the well-named emerging stayer who formed part of the winning treble that landed Roberts the $3000 TRAC trainer's bonus on Saturday.

"I've been setting him for Riccarton for a year now and he's coming along nicely," said Roberts.

Trebla had to reverse the fierce leaders' bias that affected most of the Tauranga races on Saturday. He mounted a big run wide on the track and proved relentless in the closing stages - just like you need to do to win at Riccarton.

* Trainer Peter McKay was a relieved man after Clifton Prince was given the nod in the sprint.

Unlike punters who backed the talented sprinter into $1.60, McKay felt the horse was vulnerable and defeat would not have surprised him.

"He was second up from a break and often it takes that second run to get them back on track."

Even though the margin was narrow over Roaring Jake and Baltaine, rider Andrew Calder is confident Clifton Prince will shine even brighter when he steps up to 1400m.

Calder narrowly beat a gallant Baltaine on Saturday, but will almost certainly be on the Wanganui sprinter at Ellerslie on Saturday.

Baltaine did a brilliant job to shoulder 58kg into a close third.