Racing: Rover salutes at Te Rapa

Irish Rover made his course debut at Te Rapa a winning one when overpowering a field of quality rivals yesterday to score a narrow victory in the $40,000 Foxbridge Plate.

Trentham-based trainer Eddie Carson produced the well-built 8-year-old in prime condition for a classic showdown with well-performed weight-for-age stars St Reims and Distinctly Secret in the 1400 metre sprint feature.

A heavy track forced the scratching of the Horse of the Year, Xcellent, who was expected to start favourite in the listed event.

Reputations mean nothing to Irish Rover and regular rider David Walker as this pair combined to score a hard-fought, short-neck victory over course specialist El Duce.

A further neck away in third position was the solid closing Insan Itee.

Irish Rover was positioned on the pace throughout the running and pounced quickly on the leaders in the home stretch and waged a stride-for-stride battle with El Duce over the closing 50 metres.

Irish Rover has a daunting career record on heavy track conditions - seven wins from 10 starts - and Walker was impressed by the winning performance.

"We got a nice sit on the speed and he really stretched out in the straight when I asked him to sprint and he wasn't going to let that other horse [El Duce] get past us," said Walker. "He can race on all different types of track conditions but he does seem to race a better on the softer tracks.

"I'm not sure what Eddie [Carson, part-owner and trainer] has in mind for him as this was a race he had targeted for quite a while."

El Duce, last year's winner of the Foxbridge Plate, recorded the run of the race to finish second and is well forward for a record hat-trick winning attempt on the Waikato Times Gold Cup on December 10.

Michael Coleman has two racehorses that he will not let another jockey ride - Xcellent and Haylee Baylee.

The Matamata-based jockey could not continue his unbeaten New Zealand record aboard Xcellent when the Horse of the Year was scratched from the Foxbridge Plate.

Coleman, however, maintained an impressive strike rate aboard Haylee Baylee when combining to win the $14,000 Wallace Association 1600.

Haylee Baylee had to be good to win the 1600 metre event as she carried the topweight of 57.5kg to score by one and a half lengths over Danz Star with a further four and a half lengths back to The Boy (third).

"Haylee Baylee is a very talented mare and she's going to win a big race this season for her trainer John Morell," said Coleman.

"I've ridden her right through her career right from the day she won a maiden race and she has just needed a bit of time to mature into a racehorse. She's very consistent but I do think that her lack of experience earlier in her career cost her a couple of wins.

"She was the type of mare that use to switch off a little bit towards the end of her races if she didn't have a horse in front of her to chase or another horse up beside her to focus on.

"She carried the topweight [57.5kg] and did it very easily and that was the impressive thing about the victory today."

Haylee Baylee has been a model of consistency throughout her career posting five wins and seven minor placings from 16 starts for Taupiri-based trainer John Morell.

Wednesday night ran his rivals into submission when bulldozing his way to an impressive victory in the feature hurdle event.

The 8-year-old, Classic Fame-sired gelding was on the pace throughout the running of the $12,000 Dunstan Feeds-sponsored event and powered away from the opposition over the closing two fences to win by six and three-quarter lengths over Slash 'N' Burn.

A further three and a half lengths away in third position was Malarkey.

The Evan and JJ Rayner-trained jumper has been a revelation since debuting as a hurdler, having scored two wins and two minor placings from eight starts.

Wednesday Night was in ruthless form yesterday and could develop into one of the stars of the winter racing period.

Jumps jockey Aaron Tata was lucky to escape without any serious injuries after his mount Hatepe fell at the second-to-last fence.

Tata fell over the front of Hatepe and the horse rolled sideways after hitting the track with his hind legs and landing beside Tata's head while the jockey was lying on the track.

LEAD-UP FORM was thrown out the window after Scarlet Rose scored a narrow but determined victory in the $20,000 www.pencarrowstud.co.nz.

The 8-year-old mare has finished last in her last two starts - 13 of 13 runners and 15 of 15 - but recorded a stunning form reversal to sprint powerfully down the outer of the track in the hands of jockey Grant Cooksley to win by a half-head.

A further one and a half lengths away in third position was Titian.

The 18-1 shot Scarlet Rose has developed a useful course record at Te Rapa - two wins and three minor placings from 15 starts - but her recent poor performances meant she was allowed to drift in betting markets.

An upset result was always on the cards when the two favourites, Grani and Expectalite, failed to kick on in the home stretch and battled into ninth and tenth positions.

Scarlet Rose's trainer Jim Pender, keen to see his mare return to top form, took the blinkers off his charge and credited that decision as an important component in the victory.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY