Pacorus wins the Rotorua Cup in tough conditions last month.Picture / Trish Dunell
Go to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing's website and watch Pacorus winning the Rotorua Cup on May 21.
No, it's not pretty, but pretty has never been first over the finish line in thoroughbred racing.
It's a talented stayer capable of handling the worst possible wet tracks.
And that's exactly what's going to be required to win tomorrow's $40,000 Kiwifruit Cup at Tauranga. And, no, again it won't be pretty - pretty is as pretty does.
Pacorus has an additional 2kg (56kg up to 58kg), but another couple of kilos would not have stopped him at Rotorua two starts back. The Cambridge stayer subsequently ran in the Wanganui Cup and while his third was a sound effort, the track was not as wet as he prefers it.
That will not be an issue tomorrow. The Tauranga track was a heavy 10 on Wednesday, a heavy 11 yesterday with some rain and with rain predicted for today and tomorrow the footing will be as deep as it can get.
Katie McKeen is the interesting runner. She won this race last year by 13 lengths and it doesn't get more comprehensive than that. A year back she won it with a 78 rating and is now, with a further $32,000 in the bank, on a rating of 87. But under the way this race has had to be handicapped she comes in with the same 53kg light weight.
As a runaway 9.5 length winner on her home track at New Plymouth last start that makes her a real danger. Because of the conditions last year she ran the 2100m in a snail-like 2.28, so it won't worry her how wet it gets.
There is not much to choose between most of the others with topweight Pump Up The Volume going around again with the mandatory 60kg, something that appears to have anchored him at Rotorua and Ellerslie recently. Smedley put back to back wins together before failing to handle the firmer conditions at Ruakaka last weekend. He is going to be much more at home in the conditions tomorrow.
Bee Tee Junior is coming from R75 to open company, which is a leap, but he drops from winning under 59.5kg at Ellerslie last start to 53kg and that leap is similar in the opposite direction. It is worth noting he is unbeaten in two starts on heavy tracks.
Doiknowyou is another who relishes real winter footing. He finished well for second to Pacorus in the Rotorua Cup and the extra 2kg in his favour this time will help.
The four Central Districts runners and Meursault from Riccarton appear to have it on the northern horses in the $50,000 Seeka Tauranga Classic.
The fillies and mares are on level weights, so recent form is going to be critical in finding the winner. Mike Breslin's Heni has been in great form in three starts this preparation and being the equal highest rating mare, is more favoured than most at level weights. She is versatile in terms of track conditions, but handles the mud well. She ran a slick 1.11.78 1200m winning at Awapuni two starts back and did well to run second to the talented Gypsy Fair at Trentham in a race that took 1.31.42 for the 1400m in heavy conditions.
Mark Du Plessis has the mount and she should be difficult to contain.
Lisa Latta does not travel her horses without rating them a winning chance and Platinum Command should be ready for this after two runs since resuming from a break.
New York Minute is one of those Iffraaj horses that seems to just get better and better. She ploughed through the Trentham mud to win by 10 lengths last start. Galaxy Miss, going for three straight, looks the best of the northerners.
● Racing manners will be the key for Veuve Clicquot when she lines up in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series at Otaki today. The Rock 'N' Pop two-year-old has really impressed her trainer Tony Bambry, who purchased her out of Mapperley Stud's draft at the 2016 NZB Select sale for $12,000.
"I'd seen her on a parade around the studs in January in the Waikato," he said. "I spotted her there and thought she was the nicest filly I'd seen the whole time I was looking at the 500-600 horses. I couldn't believe I got her for the money I paid.
Tips for Tauranga
Went close last time: No Need, R7 and R2, Tauranga. Just went down in a tough, three-way finish at Ellerslie last time and due a win. First ballot in R7 and looks well placed there if he regains the field.
Better now: Mr Luigi, R4, Tauranga. Did not win a race in three attempts last preparation, but is better than that. Has won both trials lately and won't mind how heavy it is.
Wetter this time: Amastar, R3, Tauranga. Has won in the heavy and last two starts have been fast-run 1200m on good tracks. This suits.
- Additional reporting NZ Racing Desk