By ANTHONY CORBAN
Not even the undoubted stamina and class of Mister D G may be enough to carry him to victory in the Kaikoura Cup on Monday.
The seven-year-old, Camtastic-sired gelding faces a daunting assignment to overcome a 20 metre handicap and win the $50,000 Mach Three-sponsored event.
The racetrack at Kaikoura
is known as a punting graveyard for favourites, particularly in this event, where most acceptors are attempting to secure a starting berth in the New Zealand Cup.
The Kaikoura Cup is the final opportunity for NZ Cup contenders to race into form and clinch a starting spot in the $400,000 event at Addington on November 9.
Mister D G, ranked in the top three free-for-all pacers in New Zealand, will be heavily supported in the Kaikoura Cup and regular driver Anthony Butt is cautious when it comes to discussing the winning chances of this combination.
"I'm really happy with the way he's raced in three starts he's had this season and his last-start performance when we finished third in the Ashburton Flying Stakes was a massive effort," said Butt.
"We really flew out of the standing start tapes and in fact we stepped too quickly because we ended up having to race three wide then sit outside the leader.
"He fought all the way to the finishing line and I think he's in great order heading into the New Zealand Cup.
"I think it'll be very, very hard for us to win the Kaikoura Cup because the track is very flat and the leaders just keep on running.
"We're starting off 20 metres and I'll need some luck to win because it can be impossible on occasions to get around the field. If we make a good beginning, I'll be looking to settle in the middle of the field and hopefully we'll get a nice tow into the race.
"If we can get any sort of a tow into the race following other horses he can really come out and sprint strongly.
"I've driven in plenty of Kaikoura Cups before and I know how hard it can be to get near the leaders at any stage of the race.
"It's a 2400 metre sprint race and if you're not handy, you're in trouble."
Butt believes that Jack Cade, Harnetts Creek, Jagged Account and Maheer Lord will prove tough.
- THE HERALD ON SUNDAY
