Racing: Stayer dreams of Cup distance

Waitoki Dream for the Auckland Cup.

The classy stayer rolled home over the last 250m of Saturday's $100,000 Waikato Times Gold Cup like he was born to run 3200m.

He finished only third, but from an Auckland Cup perspective it was as good as a win.

St Reims' dashing racing style takes the finishing dash out of back runners - Saturday's winner Singing Star stayed handy and fourth-placed Garrard was never worse than mid-field.

Waitoki Dream had to maintain a big finish from the last four runners from the 800m and was still pressing forward in the closing few strides when most of them were gasping.

No one was more delighted than trainer Kevin Cullen, who admitted he "stuffed it up when I told Gary [Grylls] to take St Reims on in front at Ellerslie last start".

"I wasn't going to make the same mistake this time."

Cullen was unsure whether he would go straight into the Auckland Cup, or give Waitoki Dream a run in the Queen Elizabeth at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

"The Auckland Cup is the race I've set him for all along."

Justine Coup was a victim of the same scenario as Waitoki Dream, having only a couple of runners behind her at the 800m and being forced to sustain a finish around the field.

She finished fifth, 4.7 lengths from Singing Star after going very wide on the home bend.

"She was unlucky to get a bump from the inside coming around the home turn," said rider Lisa Cropp.

The movement appeared to come from Waitoki Dream as he angled out from a tricky spot.

A significant statistic is that Waitoki Dream and Justine Coup were practically together at the 400m and 1.7 lengths separated them at the finish.

Despite that, Justine Coup did her Auckland Cup chances no real harm.

"She raced like the 3200m of the Cup will suit her," said Cropp.

Jockey Allan Peard jumped off Garrard frustrated.

"The last two starts I've had to be the one to drag the others up to the leaders.

"I had no chance but to do it again."

Winning jockey Cameron Lammas attributed part of his success to Garrard.

"I thought he was the horse to track up behind."

Peard said Garrard deserves to have a run like Singing Star received.

"As soon as he gets the drag up instead of giving everything else one, he'll win and he'll win a big race. He's a high-class stayer."

Jim Gibbs yet again proved what a wonderful trainer of stayers he is.

A year ago Singing Star finished fourth in the Counties and Waikato cups and sixth in the Auckland Cup.

Gibbs advised Singing Star's owner to put the mare in foal and race her on, but she had a negative pregnancy test to Volskraad. This was clearly her best racetrack effort.

"It shows you what a bit of sex can do for women," observed Gibbs.

Gibbs thanked his apprentice Lammas for a "marvellous ride".

"I took Cameron to Singapore for the Singapore Cup a few weeks ago to ride a horse I have a share in and he did a wonderful job there.

"Riding against the best up there has seen him step up to the next level."

Which they have to do.

Lammas said he was looking to buy a house and newspaper clippings of Saturday's big win would be on his bank manager's desk this week.