Racing: Oaks question will be asked of St Therese

By MIKE DILLON

Grant Cooksley and Chris McNab are mates, but there was a gap in their opinions over classy filly St Therese.

McNab is adamant that $30,000 Soliloquy Stakes winner at Ellerslie on Saturday will successfully manage the 2400m of the Oaks in January, but Cooksley is not as certain.

St Therese did a magnificent job of leading then kicking clear to take the 1600m Soliloquy, relaxing beautifully for Cooksley despite being taken on in front for most of the race.

McNab believes the filly can rate herself the same over 2400m.

"She is very relaxed and she'll see put 2400m for sure," said a confident McNab after Saturday's win.

Cooksley fell short of being adamant that St Therese might not manage 2400m.

"I'd like to see her race at 2000m before I said that. There is not a lot of her."

McNab engaged Cooksley over regular rider Andrew Calder because he wanted another opinion on the filly.

"It wasn't because I was unhappy with the way Andrew has ridden her. He probably went for her a bit soon when she was caught in the last couple of strides at Tauranga last start, but that can happen.

"Weight-for-age racing is totally different from this sort of race today."

McNab will aim St Therese at the $100,000 Eight Carat Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day for owners Rob and Jane McAnulty.

Fellow rider Mark Du Plessis, who was on Danasia, apologised to Cooksley after the race for having forced the speed onto the favourite most of the way.

"I wasn't trying to bring you undone, my filly just wanted to race too keenly."

Cooksley was his usual laid-back self.

"No worries, my filly was in another class to the others," he said quietly.

Cooksley's class was evident. He backed up the St Therese task two races later by winning the last race for the Ritchie stable aboard Nobodywantsme with an intelligent front-running ride, narrowly defeating the favourite, Emerald Dream.

Class riders save something for the last five strides and when it mattered, Cooksley had enough to stave off the Matamata mare by a neck.

It was a sound effort by Emerald Dream. Nobodywantsme is underrated and the favourite had to carry 57.5kg in what was still only her second start following a spell.

Cooksley decided to return to New Zealand permanently only a couple of weeks ago while riding in Macau.

Despite his international success, he had always maintained he would come home to live.

"It has crossed my mind a few times, and suddenly I just got sick of being away."

When you are as good as Cooksley, rides start arriving. Yesterday he landed the mount on South Island 3-year-old Sir Clive in the $60,000 Avondale Guineas on Saturday and in the $350,000 Mercedes Derby at Ellerslie.

Sir Clive looked unlucky when hampered in the home straight before finishing third to Tit For Tat and Star Satire in Thursday's $150,000 Bayer Classic. A protest was unsuccessful.

The world of his rider, Damian Browne, crashed even further on Friday when he was stood down until December 30 for having ridden at Winton last Sunday and at the Bayer meeting without obtaining a medical clearance for a popped shoulder.

Browne had been stood down at the New Zealand Cup meeting at Riccarton because of the shoulder, which he injured playing touch rugby.

He was stunned by the verdict, which denies him the Sir Clive Derby ride. He was told by Friday's judicial panel that he ran the risk of endangering himself and other jockeys by riding when not cleared.

The way Sir Clive was finishing off the Bayer before being stopped in his tracks suggests the Derby will suit. Cooksley has won the Derby on Tidal Light, Cavallieri and Look Who's Talking.