If Kiwi soldier Bill Titchener was alive today he would probably be having a bet on tomorrow's $1 million Auckland Cup.
The gallant Kevin Myers stayer Titch is named after the highly decorated World War II platoon commander, a good comrade and mate of Titch's 90-year-old owner Jim Wallace.
"His
nickname was Titch. He was a fine leader of men. A great bloke," said Wallace from his Masterton home.
Wallace saw Titchener a number of times after the war before he ended up in Melbourne, where he died.
Wallace said Myers hadn't given him regular updates on Titch's preparation - "that's the way Kevin operates, but I heard through the grapevine he was very happy with him".
Myers found Titch as 2-year-old roaming Wallace's sprawling property.
"Kevin said he liked the look of him and he thought he could do something with him," said Wallace.
Could he what? In what's turned out to be another Myers success story, Titch has had 61 starts for 21 wins, nine over the fences.
He enters tomorrow's race on the back of a close-up second in last Saturday's Nathan Memorial. He was ridden by apprentice Lisa Whelan but Opie Bosson is on tomorrow, something that gives Wallace even bigger hope.
Bad knees will prevent Wallace from making the trip to Ellerslie, so he's handed his bloodstock agent grandson Michael the job of picking up the cup if Titch does the honours.
Wallace senior will make a small wager and content himself with a place in front of the telly at 5.52pm to watch the big race.
A celebratory drink will follow if Titch pulls it off.
Myers has two Cup runners, the other being Capecover, who was a disappointing ninth in his first attempt at winning the race in 2009.
The 9-year-old, a group winner in Australia, will be ridden by David Walker and carry topweight of 57kg.
The gelding has already been successful over 3200m - in the 2010 Adelaide Cup and only last spring gave classy Moudre 1kg to be beaten three-quarters of a length in the Queens Cup (2600m) on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington.
