Racing: It's all good as Real Tonic uses win as Northern stepping stone

It wasn't just Taranaki's beautiful weather yesterday that made John Wheeler smile broadly.

While his mates at home were watching thousands of dollars spilled down the drains with Saturday's washout abandonment of the $1 million Pick6 meeting at New Plymouth, Wheeler was at Ellerslie watching a final prelude to a race that should finally put a longed-for trophy in his lounge.

Wheeler drove back to Taranaki on Saturday night unable to find a negative that could stop Real Tonic repeating his runaway $40,000 Mad Butcher Pakuranga Hunt Cup victory in the $100,000 Sharp Great Northern Steeplechase on Saturday week.

At that point the only niggling doubt was how Real Tonic would feel yesterday morning after a gruelling run in what was the third-slowest Pakuranga Hunt Cup in a century and a quarter.

"Absolutely brilliant," said Wheeler when asked how Real Tonic looked.

"He's come through that race perfectly."

That says a lot about the top-class chaser's constitution.

You may have wondered why pinch-hitting rider Isaac Lupton put the whip around Real Tonic's backside in the run from the last fence when the pair landed over the last well clear of the opposition and continued to draw further ahead.

Wheeler instructed Lupton to keep Real Tonic right up to the mark to ensure the horse lacked nothing in fitness when he arrives at the start for one of the world's most energy-sapping horse races at Ellerslie the weekend after next.

"I didn't want the horse overtaxed, but to have a good solid hit-out."

When you saw the bedraggled second half of the field arrive at the finish at intervals you knew there was not a horse out there that did not sleep deeply on Saturday night.

Forget Real Tonic dropped out of the race and pulled up in last year's Great Northern -Wheeler has.

He does not consider that a factor this time.

"I know I did the wrong thing in bringing him back from Melbourne on the morning of the Pakuranga Hunt Cup [last year]," he said.

"He finished second in that last year and it flattened him for the Northern."

It was a different horse that lined up on Saturday - a fitter, more experienced type. "At the bottom of the Hill the last time he was jogging, there was plenty of horse."

As much as Real Tonic can handle heavy footing - he displayed that talent in Saturday's deep footing - you have to be aware of the extreme distance for next week's race. The better the footing the more the class index will prevail over just stamina.

Every year you forget how draining the Northern is over the final 1000m and its third trip up the feared Hill.

We've seen Northerns run on desperately heavy tracks where the favourites have not been able to find the necessary stamina.

A loose, wet track would not worry Wheeler as much as a deep, puggy surface.

"That track couldn't get much heavier now, even if it rained."

Wheeler stayed true to form in not nominating the horse he considers the danger in the big race.

"The only real danger is that you're a danger to yourself if you don't manage to get your horse right on the day."

For Real Tonic that will involve light work for the first half of this week.

"I'll give him stronger work late in the week and a searching gallop next Tuesday.

"For this race you only have to worry about the aerobic side of it, you don't have to worry about anaerobics.

It's a marathon in human terms, you don't have to worry about speed.

You just have to keep grinding."

There must be one horse Wheeler is worried about for the race that he's wanted to win for a long time.

"To be honest, he's probably too good for most of them. He's one of the best we've seen in recent years."

Wheeler rates Real Tonic around the same level as the best he's had - St Steven, winner of the world's richest jumping race, the Nakayama Grand Jump.

If he's right then he probably doesn't have to worry too much about the opposition.