Racing: Showcause toughs out Cup win

Darryl Bradley on Showcause. Photo / Getty Images

Frank Ritchie is enjoying a highly successful season with his small racing team headed by the impressive $100,000 (Group Two) City Of Auckland Cup winner Showcause.

The 5-year-old may not have the equine hype of several rivals leading into the 2400m feature but he is a tough stayer as he showed when racing three wide outside the leader to win.

Showcause was a sitting duck for challengers in the home stretch but they couldn't catch the gelding.

Cassini was right alongside at the finish with Red Ruler making ground out wide for third.

The slow early tempo again proved the undoing of Red Ruler and Innocent Lady who both over raced.

All honours were with the winner who also won the New Zealand Cup at Christchurch in November.

"He's done well since the Waikato Cup and the plan was to go forward and he did plenty of work to get there but he's a real good stayer", said Ritchie.

"I was thinking about the Wellington Cup but we'll now have to take a good look at everything."