Gore hurdler Kidunot will be hard to beat at Te Rapa tomorrow provided the track is not too heavy. Photo / Greg Bowker
He's one from one with victory in last year's Great Northern Hurdles at Ellerslie.
Gore trainer Ellis Winsloe reckons Kidunot can extend that to an unbeaten two from two in tomorrow's $33,500 Dunstan Feeds Waikato Hurdles - provided the track stays reasonably good.
The Te Rapa track was yesterday morning
rated a slow 7 with rain forecast for last night and this morning, fining up for tomorrow.
It might be a tight thing whether the footing will suit Kidunot, to be ridden by the colourful Daniel Bothamley.
"He's a dead-set good track horse," says Winsloe. "He doesn't like it anything worse than dead.
"He finished fifth in a Grand National Hurdles in a bog, but it was only his jumping ability that took him that far."
Tomorrow's field looks very even with the top of the handicap comprising High Season, Yourtheman, Kidunot and Spirit Of Alaton with 1kg among them. Yourtheman won this race two years ago and Spirit Of Alaton took it last year.
High Season was a close third to Spirit Of Alaton 12 months ago and showed he was in form with a determined win over a small field at Te Aroha two starts back.
"I'm very happy with him, he's right on his game," said trainer John Wheeler of High Season.
High Season may be rising 11, but he retains all his enthusiasm as he showed at Te Aroha.
"He loves jumping," says Wheeler.
High Season is another who prefers reasonable footing, as does Yourtheman. Wheeler rates Yourtheman the biggest danger to High Season and the Mark Oulaghan-trained veteran will be very fit for this after a maiden steeplechase victory at Wanganui last start.
That steeplechase will present Yourtheman into this race a fitter horse than even the year he won it.
This should be one of the better Waikato Hurdles contests.
WAIKATO HURDLES
*The past two winners of the race, Yourtheman and Spirit Of Alaton, help comprise a terrific field.
*Add to that pair two high-class jumpers in High Season and Kidunot and you have a great contest.
*High Season, Yourtheman and Kidunot would prefer reasonable footing, so forecast rain will have a big say in the result. Kidunot might be trained near the bottom of the South Island, but he's got a very good strike rate in the Waikato-Auckland area.
