Racing: Haylee Baylee another Morell success story

John Morell is probably horse racing's greatest unsung hero.

The selection of hugely successful young horses he has raced is rarely bettered.

If he has a down side it's moaning about late scheduling of races he's got a runner in.

It means the Waikato dairy farmer has to find someone to milk his 260 cows.

That's the case today when he runs Haylee Baylee, the only horse he currently r races, in the $100,000 Eagle Technology Counties Cup.

The cup is run at 4.57pm, far too late to get Haylee Bailey home to Taupiri and start the milking run.

"My 85-year-old mother Floss would come over and milk them, but I won't let her. She's a tough old Taranaki girl and she just loves milking, but it's two years since I let her."

Morell will have plenty left over after paying the "young fella up the road" to milk if Haylee Baylee can land the major prize this afternoon.

And with a 2211221 formline and a heart and attitude as big as herself, who is to say she can't.

Morell says he has always loved racehorses, but used to have to restrict his involvement to losing his money at the tote.

"I always wanted a horse, but when I was sharemilking I couldn't afford it. It wasn't until we got our own farm that we could even look like having a go."

That "go" was racing smart sprinter Master Vain in partnership with his uncle Jim Mead, who trained the horse.

The success rate Morell has enjoyed since is at least five or six times the national average.

Think of those unlucky souls who have been racing for 20 years without a winner when you consider that from only a handful of horses Morell has had a succession of winners and horses he has sold to overseas markets at huge profit.

Haylee Baylee has to give Kerry O'Reilly half a kilogram, but has the huge advantage of coming out of the number 1 gate rather than one from the outside.

The 2100m is probably at the top end of Haylee Baylee's range, but the inside gate should help Michael Coleman to conserve energy.

"If Michael can slot her in fourth or fifth on the rails doing nothing she could prove hard to keep out of the money," says Morell.

"The biggest problem Michael will have to watch out for, and he's well aware of it, is getting to the front too soon. She'll produce plenty if she knows there's something coming at her."