Racing: Tasmanian races on radar for Mr Tipsy

Opie Bosson takes Mr Tipsy to victory in Marton Cup. Photo / NZPA

Mr Tipsy's win in the Marton Cup has Waikato trainer Murray Baker again eyeing Australian riches - but this time with a major point of difference.

The big carnivals of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are the well worn flight paths when New Zealand trainers head across the Tasman with their thoroughbreds, but Baker is looking outside the square with Mr Tipsy.

So much so that this is a destination few Australia trainers would seriously consider.

What Baker has in mind for Mr Tipsy is Tasmania. There's the A$300,000 Hobart Cup (2200m) on February 13, followed 10 days later by the A$225,000 Launceston Cup (2400m).

The reasoning is simple. The value of the Australian dollar combined with the fact that both races will far from attract the cream of Australia's stayers.

"How good will they be?" Baker asked on Saturday night.

Flight arrangements for horses were not a problem, he said. "It's nothing. You just fly to Melbourne and then fly on. They fly them [from Melbourne to Tasmania] all the time."

Nothing is confirmed for Tasmania at this point, with Mr Tipsy's next start to be in the group two $200,000 Wellington Cup (2400m) at Trentham on January 25.

"The Wellington Cup is the immediate focus but the Tasmanian races are on the radar. We've got them in the back of our mind," said Baker, who trains in partnership with son Bjorn at Cambridge.

Murray Baker has long ventured to Australia and has been among New Zealand's most successful. Take this racing season, for example. Saturday's $55,000 Marton Cup (2200m) was the eighth stakes win for the Bakers in the 2010-11 term of which three have been in Australia. They include the A$1.5 million Victoria Derby with Lion Tamer in Melbourne last October.

Mr Tipsy comes in well at the weights in the Wellington Cup with 53.5kg. It was part of the conditions of the Marton Cup that the winner could not be re-handicapped and Murray Baker said the Montjeu six-year-old gelding, who was having just his third start of a new campaign on Saturday, had to be a leading chance. "He's still improving, he's still on the way up. He's a good stayer and he's got a good record. He was the biggest winner moneywise in the field today."

Saturday's winning purse of $31,250 took Mr Tipsy's stake earnings to $476,000 with a record of 23 starts for eight wins and six minor placings.

Among the placings were a second in the 2009 Auckland Cup (3200m) and a month later he was third in the Sydney Cup (3200m). Mr Tipsy missed a start in last year's Auckland Cup when troubled by a hoof problem and ended up going nine months without racing.

Mr Tipsy, ridden on Saturday by Opie Bosson, settled fifth on the outer but was on the improve with about 600m to run. He had loomed up early in the run home and once asked to lengthen stride he quickly reeled in the leaders to score impressively by 1 lengths as a $6.80 second favourite.

Bosson would be doubtful to make Mr Tipsy's weight in the Wellington Cup. A possible replacement is Michael Coleman who has won on the horse.

It was close for second on Saturday with Can't Keeper Down, who was caught three wide without cover, edging out He's Under The Gun by a nose.

Fourth, 1 lengths away, was the favourite So Pristine who had every chance after racing fifth on the outer, while fourth favourite Blood Brotha only battled from the rear to finish seventh in a field of 15.

A late scratching from the race was Crocodile Canyon. His rider Matthew Cameron fell ill and with apprentice riders the only replacements available the horse's connections decided to wait for another day.

- NZPA