Racing: Trip to ride raider brings Kiwi home

It is 17 years since Kelvin Sanderson stepped on the soil of his homeland.

And he sees no irony that he's here, riding an Australian horse, to try to beat the best New Zealand stayers in the US$350,000 New Zealand Herald Auckland Cup at Ellerslie this afternoon.

The locals can expect no favours - Sanderson is in revival mode after nearly having to give racing away and he'll make the most of every opportunity aboard Melbourne stayer Bondy today.

Bondy has been backed to win a lot of money in doubles with his highly regarded stablemate Not A Single Doubt in today's US$200,000 Waiwera Infinity Railway and Sanderson will try every trick he knows to land that money.

The Christchurch-born 30-year-old is a virtual unknown in racing circles this side of the Tasman, but is highly regarded by Bondy's astute Melbourne trainer Tony Vasil.

"I call him the Ice Man," says Vasil.

"He's cool and just one of those really nice blokes.

"He's not your typical cocky jockey, he's very quietly spoken."

The only part of New Zealand Sanderson remembers is Thames, where he spent his formative years before moving with his family to Australia as a 6-year-old.

He has been back only once since.

"I grew up in Melbourne, but started my apprenticeship with David Smedley in New South Wales," he said when he arrived at Auckland Airport yesterday afternoon.

He gravitated to riding in Tasmania. The apple state can claim to have reared a couple of good jocks, but the overall riding talent falls well below every other state of Australia.

It nearly cost Sanderson his place in horse racing.

"I started down there riding at 52.5kg, but they race only once a week and with a colder climate like New Zealand's I found it really hard to keep my weight down.

"I got sick of it and lifted my riding weight to 54.5-55kg, but that left me only a few rides a week and I couldn't make a living. I was burned out."

Tony Vasil became his lifeline.

"In Tasmania I used to ride for the bloke who is now Tony's foreman and about a year ago he suggested I come up to Melbourne and ride trackwork for Tony."

Vasil was impressed and one day suggested Sanderson go further.

"I put him on one on raceday and he won. I'm pretty sure from the first 12 rides he had for me he won eight races. I guarantee Kelvin has the best strike rate in Australia.

"If not, he's close to it. He's a great asset to my stable."

From Vasil's stable, Sanderson has ridden 24 winners from 60 rides.

He says his financial standing is now a lot healthier.

"You can make a decent wage just riding trackwork for someone like Tony and I have also set up a saddlery business in Caulfield, which is booming, and now I have my race riding as well."

Sanderson has ridden Bondy in his last three races, winning two of them and Vasil has no problem leaving him on for an occasion as big as the Auckland Cup.

"He's a great judge of pace and he's very sound tactically."

Bondy hit out well when Vasil rode him in a gallop on the Ellerslie course proper just before race one on the second day of the carnival on Tuesday.

Vasil said that although Bondy's form was attained essentially against the second-tier stayers in Melbourne, he was much more talented than that.

"For a number of reasons he missed out on a start in the races I wanted him to go in."

Sanderson loves the horse.

"He's only small, but he's all heart. He's like a kid's pony to do anything with.

"He'll just love the 3200m - he holds the 3000m track record at Moonee Valley."

A huge asset for Bondy will be the drop from the 58kg he has been recently lumped with in lesser company in Australia to today's 53.5kg.

Sanderson says because the little grey relaxes and looks after himself so well during a race he can finish off powerfully.

"He's going to be right in it," he predicts.

Worldwide, very few jockeys, if any, could boast a group one victory from just one ride in their homeland.

$350,000 AUCKLAND CUP

* Melbourne galloper Bondy will be ridden today by New Zealand-born Kelvin Sanderson.

* The former Thames kid is unknown in New Zealand, but has a growing reputation in Melbourne under Bondy's trainer Tony Vasil.

* Sanderson arrived in New Zealand yesterday afternoon predicting Bondy will be right in the action at the finish of Ellerslie's big race today.