Racing: Northerly back to best

Fred Kersley rates Sunline as the 'gold standard' that his horse, Northerly, has to beat, writes MIKE DLLION.

Fred Kersley admits: "I have to tell you, I'm a Sunline fan."

Given that he probably wants the New Zealand champion mare to burst into flames on the home turn when his horse, Northerly, chases her hard in the Cox Plate, that's a big statement.

Kersley stands between Sunline and a remarkable three consecutive Cox Plates.

And there is a lot to the Western Australian.

He's the classic tough-minded, astute Australian horseman. He's also disarmingly humble.

If Northerly downs Sunline, Kersley will have played a key role.

He now readily admits that the horse he half-owns with his wife, Judith, had problems after defeating Sunline in the Feehan Stakes and winning the Yalumba Classic last start.

"The trip from Perth and the hard race he had against Sunline took their toll.

"He got too smart on me and behaved pretty ordinary for a few days.

"He's used to a rural environment in Perth, and being stuck in a box at Caulfield was part of it."

Kersley says his "seriously good" racehorse is now back to his best.

In fact, like the McKee stable with Sunline, he's a bunch of smiles going into tomorrow's Southern Hemisphere weight-for-age championship.

You get the impression that Kersley will think of every way to beat Sunline.

He did not take Northerly to the Moonee Valley Breakfast With The Stars on Tuesday morning for fear of winding him up too much, instead working him at 4 am at Caulfield and dashing to Moonee Valley to see Sunline and Universal Prince gallop.

No one saw him there - he certainly did not front for the breakfast - but he came away with everything he wanted to know.

"I missed Universal Prince's gallop because he went too early, but judges I respect said he worked terrifically well."

He was impressed with Sunline's condition, but knowing Kersley, it would have been the style of work he was looking for. "I have to tell you, she's keen, she wants to be there," he says.

Perhaps not since Bonecrusher's eclipse of Waverley Star in the 1986 Cox Plate, still described as the race of the century in Australia, has there been a group-one contest where tactics will play such a major role.

A tactical error for even two strides is likely to make the difference.

Kersley has spent all his life in harness racing, training and driving grand-circuit stars such as Pure Steel and Red Vicar.

He branched into gallopers 10 years ago, and today trains 20 gallopers and 10 pacers and trotters.

His wife says she is delighted for her husband that Northerly has come along at this time of his life.

"If Fred was a lot younger and had Northerly, he might have 25 years of ordinary horses to follow, which would destroy it. Nothing is going to kill the thrill of this."

Northerly looks awkward racing with his head held high - and Damien Oliver has said the horse does not give him a good response during a race - but Kersley sees nothing out of the ordinary.

"He doesn't look awkward to me. You could argue that getting his head up like he does provides a windbreak for the jockey."

German raider Silvano has the form on the board to seriously test any field and there are plenty saying Universal Prince's second to Sunline at Flemington last start was the winning tip for this race.

But Kersley thinks Sunline is the horse to beat, and Trevor McKee is thinking only of Northerly.

"Sunline has won nearly $A9 million, that says it all," says Kersley.

"She's the gold standard."