Racing: Greene, green grass of home on move down expressway

Justamaiz contests the Group 3 Counties Cup for David Greene tomorrow at Te Rapa. Photo / Trish Dunell

Trainer David Greene is hoping to make the most of a bonus hometown Cup at Te Rapa tomorrow.

So much so that both horses Greene takes to the races, Justamaiz and Judy's Song, are in the $110,000 Counties Cup.

As the name suggests, the Counties Cup would usually be held at Pukekohe but is yet another race meeting moved down the Waikato Expressway to south of the Auckland border as Te Rapa does a remarkable job carrying the weight of northern feature race days.

That is a slight silver lining to the Covid cloud for trainers such as Greene, especially as Justamaiz is a former Waikato Cup winner under similar circumstances to tomorrow's Group 3 race.

"It definitely helps, not having to travel and because both our horses race well here," says Greene.

"I think the race stacks up really nicely for Justamaiz because he gets in on a luxurious weight for a horse of his ability and he seems to be back to his best."

Justamaiz looked one of the most promising stayers in the country when he won the 2019 Waikato Cup but seemed off for much of last season, being tardy in the gates and performing below his best.

"We are not sure what is was but he seems a lot happier now and we have given him a different preparation this time in, having him in work longer and giving him a trial which we don't usually do," says Greene.

"He was good fresh-up over 1600m and obviously won last start and both times that was after settling off the speed so I think we have more options with him now."

For that reason Greene is not overly concerned by barrier 11 for Justamaiz in a race where the speed should be genuine.

While Justamaiz has been a winner from Big Mike skewering the weights, his 102 rating meaning the second topweight carries just 55.5kg, stablemate Judy's Song isn't quite as well off.

She gets only 0.5kg from Justamaiz even though he is rated 12 points higher than her because of the compressed weights lower down the scale but Greene hopes her inside barrier draw helps balance that out at least slightly.

"She really isn't well off at the weights but barrier one really helps her and she could sit in the trail. From there she can run top four who knows maybe even better."

While Greene's pair both have factors in their favour tomorrow the transferred Cup looks a tricky race with proven Cup winners such as Roger That up against a group of emerging mares headed by Cheaperthandivorce.

The beautifully-bred mare easily accounted for subsequent winner Justaskme in the Group 3 Thompson Handicap at Trentham last start and while she has raced past 1600m this campaign her Oaks and fillies feature race form last season suggest she will be even more potent stepping up to 2100m.

Her stablemate in the Roger James/Robert Wellwood team in Two Illicit looks the one to beat in a hotshot Breeders Stakes later in the programme, even though she is probably looking to step up to further than tomorrow's 1400m after winning so brilliantly over that trip at Hastings last month.

Her clash with Showoroses and Travelling Light is just one of the glamour girls contests for the day with the speed machine Babylon Berlin against the freak finisher Levante in the $70,000 Counties Bowl.

Cup shifts south
● The Counties Cup meeting has been moved to Te Rapa tomorrow.
● It features not only the Cup but black type races containing some of the country's best mares
● The juvenile clash in race three between brilliant winner Mascarinto and exciting debutante Bright Blue Sky is another highlight.