Racing: Thank God, Yuley could be right for cup

By MICHAEL GUERIN

Lorraine Nolan stood next to Yulestar yesterday and prayed.

Somebody listened.

Nolan knew her dream of defending the New Zealand Cup with the giant pacer could disappear in the uttering of one word from a Canterbury vet.

All the vet had to say was "virus" and Yulestar was on a float back to Hawera.

But the vet used some different words - "mild bacterial infection in the lungs" - to be exact.

Which means New Zealand's best pacer is still a chance in the great race on November 13.

Nolan, who trains and co-owns Yulestar, left Ashburton confused on Monday after Yulestar disappointed in the Flying Stakes.

His performance in finishing ninth mirrored his Hunter Cup effort earlier this year after which he was found to be suffering from a virus.

"After what happened in Melbourne I knew if he had another virus that was it. We would have to miss the cup and head home.

"So I stood there as the vet checked over him and said a little prayer," said the religious 62-year-old grandmother.

"It looks like God was listening."

While God was busy granting Nolan's wishes, the vet was busy handing her some antibiotics with which to treat Yulestar.

The diagnosis will allow Yulestar to start in the vital final cup lead-up at Kaikoura on Monday in which he faces a backmark, his Interdom runner-up Atitagain and a capacity field.

"This race will be very important for us from a New Zealand Cup point of view.

"Tony (Shaw, driver) will be able to tell us after the race whether he is better or whether the lung infection isn't the main problem and that we have another concern.

"But if the lung infection is all we have to worry about and the antibiotics work there is no reason he can't be spot on by cup time."

Yulestar is still second favourite for the cup with the TAB although he has drifted to $5.50 third favourite with Australian bookies who have been swamped by a wave of support for Atitagain, now into $3.

Atitagain arrived in Auckland on Monday night before travelling by road to the South Island.

He is now the only Australian entry for the cup after Franco Conquest was withdrawn this week, while Mike's Pal, as only a class eight pacer and Stars And Stripes are others likely to miss the cup.

Monday's $27,000 Kaikoura Cup will be his first start since winning the Ben Hur at Harold Park in May but he has had several searching trials and private workouts to prepare him for his resumption.

Monday's race appears the perfect chance for either Pic Me Pockets or Panky's Pacer to graduate to open class and guarantee themselves a cup start. Both have drawn the front line while the big names in the race faces handicaps of 10m, with Yulestar and Atitagain off the 20m mark on the tricky Kaikoura track.

Holmes D G will miss the race, using the cup trial as his final build-up.

The field for the Kaikoura Cup is.-

3.58: DB DRAUGHT KAIKOURA CUP $27,000, c9 & faster pace, 2400m.- Pic Me Pockets (1), Flight South (2), Annie's Boy (3), Panky's Pacer (4), Snowy's Passion (5), Mike's Pal (6) fr, Kym's Girl (1), Cigar (2), Bogan Fella (3), Facta Non Verba (4), Happy Asset (5), Smooth Trickster (6), The Tough Nut (7), Homin Hosed (8) 10, Yulestar (1), Atitagain (2) 20.