Racing: Last hurrah could be huge for Lupton in Auckland Cup

Etah James winning the Pakenham Cup (2500m) in December. Photo / Quentin Lang

Winning the Auckland Cup is huge. Winning it with your last ever starter might be unheard of.

But trainer Mark Lupton has a great chance of pulling that off at Ellerslie today.

Technically if Etah James wins the $500,000 Group One she may actually extend Lupton's training career. Victory would probably earn her a trip to the Sydney Cup with Lupton also on the plane.

But unless something changes, the 65-year-old Matamata farmer sees today as his last as a horse trainer here.

"I have been doing it long enough," he laughs.

"We have got a swag of grandkids now and I want to spend some time with them.

"I have been working the farm for Scott Richardson here for 12 years and I was only supposed to help get it set up as a favour.

"It has been great fun and we have had some success but I think I want to do other things and leave the training to other people. So while I might take this horse to Sydney if she goes good this week, I don't see myself training next season."

If Etah James is to be Lupton's last domestic starter he could go out with a bang as the veteran mare has a great winning chance.

She stormed into third in the Avondale Cup and drops from 59kgs to 53.5kgs, with Lupton expecting her to race handy.

"She will be up there and if they try to take the speed out of the race at any stage she will be around them.

"So we think we have a good chance."

Lupton may have a famous racing name, yes he is related to Snowy Lupton of Kiwi fame as well as rival trainer today in Jamie-Lee Lupton, who trains Wellington Cup winner Soleseifei, but Etah James's journey to today's Cup is anything but traditional.

She started her career well enough, running third to subsequent sprint king Julius in her first ever trial but that is as close as she ever got to having speed.

"I took her to the trials one day and told the jockey to give her a good hit out because I was thinking of sending her to Australia," remembers Lupton.

"She went terrible and he came back and said "forget Australia, she won't win a maiden here."

That jockey was kinda right, Etah James is still a maiden in New Zealand but has won seven races and nearly $500,000 in Australia.

That was when trained by Matt Cumani, the son of famous trainer Luca, and Matt thought he was hearing things when Lupton rang him out of the blue three years ago. "I had never spoken to him but a mate of mine who lives in London said we need to get Matt Cumani to train her.

"So I rang him and told him we have a 4-year-old unraced daughter of Raise The Flag who has no speed so needs 3200m racing, would he like to train her? I think he was a bit taken aback but he has been wonderful to deal with."

Etah James has been good at that next level below the elite stayers in Australia, winning the Pakenham Cup a few starts ago, ironically the race Big Mike, who could well be leading today's field, won 12 months before her.

"We have had a lot of fun with her and it might not be over yet," Lupton said.

"But I couldn't think of a better way to go out, for me anyway, than winning the Auckland Cup."

The last dance

● Etah James could be the last starter for trainer Mark Lupton today.
● She is weighted to win the Group One $500,000 Auckland Cup at Ellerslie today.
● A slashing last-start third in the Avondale Cup, Etah James has never won a race in New Zealand.
●She is a $10 chance today.