Racing: Revitalised Irish Rover back on track for Kelt

David Walker is in awe of Irish Rover and who can blame him.

Saturday's Foxbridge Plate was the 17th victory Walker has completed on the winning machine.

The Trentham galloper's earnings now sit only $922 short of half a million dollars.

This was the Irish Rover of old after a couple of questionable runs - and Walker was delighted.

But before you rush to back Irish Rover in the Mudgway Fair Tax Stakes at Hastings next start, Walker believes the hugely talented galloper is no hope over the 1400m - the same distance as the Foxbridge - unless the track is slow or heavy.

"He's not competitive over 1400m on a good track," said Walker.

Paradoxically, the Central Districts jockey believes the best form Irish Rover will produce from this point of his career will be on better tracks than those on which the horse has scored most of his 17 wins.

But over 1600m or 2000m.

"I don't believe he appreciates the real heavy tracks these days.

"This track today is not really deep and it suited him perfectly."

"Like a few of them, he'll just be having a run in the Mudgway if the track is good. He'll be more competitive over the 1600m and in the Kelt."

Walker could not disguise his delight on Saturday.

"I'm really happy he's back on track. He came up underneath me and really sprinted - he hasn't felt like that lately.

"I was really confident sitting just off the leader in running. When El Duce came at us in the final stages he had to find again and he never flinched."

Walker cannot wait for the Kelt. He missed the winning ride on Balmuse last year when he decided to stay with Irish Rover and Jamie Bullard was engaged.

"He'll be competitive this time. He ran a good race last year and the year before he should have been second."

Trainer Eddie Carson was unable to get a seat on a suitable flight from Wellington and stayed at home, Auckland-based co-owner Barney McCahill represented the team.

El Duce belied his 10 years in his effort to make it successive Foxbridge Plates and if Donna and Dean Logan can keep him sound, he should be in for a massive spring.

Insan Itee looked likely to topple them all at the 250m and did well for third and the eye-catching effort came from fourth-placed King Of Ashford. His performance was hampered by traffic problems.

"I was trying to get him inside Insan Itee, but the gap wasn't quite there," said rider Darryl Bradley.

"When I pulled him wider he struck a sticky patch and that pulled up him up a bit.

"On the home turn I gave him a click and he felt terrific, beautiful. He'll pull a lot of improvement out of that."

Trainer Karen Zimmerman said the positive out of the defeat was that she can now run King Of Ashford in the 1600m support races on the first day at Hastings as a preparatory effort to the last two legs of the treble.

Stablemate Rodin disgraced himself coming in a long last.

"There's nothing wrong with him," said Zimmerman.

"I'll get him thoroughly checked out, but I reckon he wasn't copping the ground and decided to switch himself off."