Racing: Grateful trainer wants to thank ex-boss

Monkey King finishes brilliantly to beat Bettor's Strike and Smoken Up in the New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington. Photo / Simon Baker

Triumphant trainer Brendon Hill's New Zealand Cup job is not done even after Monkey King blazed his way to glory in the $1 million classic at Addington yesterday.

Because at some stage in the coming weeks, far away from the 20,000 screaming fans who hailed Monkey King yesterday, Hill will seek out the man who helped him win the cup, shake his hand and say "thank you".

That man is Hill's former boss, friend and the long-time trainer of Monkey King, Steven Reid.

Reid and Hill were virtually training partners until this time last year when Reid split with his biggest owner, Robert Famularo.

Monkey King, already a superstar, was sent south to Hill in what the now cup-winning trainer admitted was an awkward moment.

"I was thrilled to get the opportunity to train him but I felt a bit uncomfortable about it because Steven and I have been friends for such a long time," said Hill.

"We haven't really spoken about it and even now I feel a bit funny about this because Sam [Monkey King] was always Reidman's horse.

"But I am coming back up to Auckland for the carnival next month and I will see him then and we can talk about it face to face, rather than on the phone."

Hill made two major decisions in the past four years that landed him and Monkey King in the winner's circle yesterday.

The first was to move from his Auckland home to Canterbury to take the job as trainer of the young and southern-based members of Famularo horses.

"It was a big move but I had recently separated and met somebody new and it has all worked out well, cup win or not."

The second and more tangible decision was to bypass the gutbusting Ashburton Flying Stakes two weeks ago, a huge risk for a young trainer on his first real cup campaign.

"That is part of being the trainer, rather than the second in charge - you have to make decisions and stick with them and I did that.

"Ricky did the rest."

Ricky as in Ricky May, the driver whose legendary patience landed him his fourth cup yesterday.

May's first job was to get Monkey King away from the standing start and his next was to time his run perfectly, especially as the tiny pacer can pull up when he thinks he has won, as he did so agonisingly for Reid two years ago.

May's drive cost him $350, his fine from the stewards for what they deemed was excessive use of the whip in the last 100m.

"I wasn't even hitting him. I was hitting the sulky and you have to do that to keep him going because he is cunning and tries to pull up," said May.

"The owners will pay that, won't they?" asked May, trying to pass the bill over to Hill.

May's urgency was intensified by Bettor's Strike storming at him to almost give wonderkid Dexter Dunn his first cup win.

Smoken Up was a brave third, just ahead of Pembrook Benny, who has next year's cup written all over him.

Defending champion Changeover was a luckless fifth after getting pushed back, while Kiwi Ingenuity looked ready to live up to her hype at the 400m mark but was found wanting in the last 100m after two checks, one early and one late.

But while there were excuses for some, nobody could argue Monkey King deserved his win after starting from the worst draw to pace the second-fastest cup winning time ever.

He has now been invited to the Miracle Mile in Sydney in a few weeks.

"I'll decide on that in a few days," said Hill. "I want to go home and watch the replay 10 times first to make sure I am not dreaming."

MONKEY BUSINESS
* Monkey King downs Bettor's Strike in the $1 million New Zealand Cup.
* The win comes in trainer Brendon Hill's second full season of training.
* The win is the result of a perfect drive from Ricky May.
* Monkey King started favourite after a huge nationwide betting plunge.