KEY POINTS:
If there was any doubt Spin Around is New Zealand's most under-appreciated horse he eliminated it in yesterday's $200,000 First Sovereign Trust Avondale Cup.
Standing tall and straight like you'd expect from a former Queen's Cavalry member, Englishman Steven Cooper said: "I can't understand why nobody follows this
horse."
Indeed.
Spin Around carried equal topweight, got what looked like too far back in running and sprinted past the entire field from almost last on the home bend to win easily.
"It doesn't bother me because I don't gamble," said trainer Cooper of the public's seeming lack of interest in Spin Around despite a dominant Counties Cup win at Ellerslie at his previous start.
"But anyone gambling and following him is having a great time."
The most supremely confident person at Avondale that Spin Around could win yesterday's cup was regular rider Gavin McKeon.
He refused to accept that only the slightly rain-affected track got the horse home.
"That might have helped just a little, but it's not what won him the race," said McKeon.
"The truth is he's just a very, very good racehorse."
This was a real "league of nations" victory.
The cup was won by an Australian-bred of pure American blood. He is a former Hong Kong galloper, trained by an Englishman, ridden by an Australian and owned in Hong Kong by Danny Wong.
The best New Zealand could do was provide the the country Steven Cooper fell in love with when he visted here on holiday.
And as he stretched his moustache, smiling as Spin Around returned to the winner's stall, you just know he was thanking himself for the decision to settle here a few years ago.
The City Of Auckland Cup over the Christmas-New Year carnival at Ellerslie now beckons and Cooper is very confident Spin Around will cope with the step up to 2400m.
Watching the last 200m of yesterday's cup, it's hard not to agree with him.
McKeon deliberately rode Spin Around back in the field.
"I told Steven I'd rather be too far back than too far forward. I told him nothing would sprint the last 200m faster."
Overkaast showed there was a big win close at hand for Royce Dowling and Linda Laing by jumping from a R90 victory at Te Aroha to a group one second in the Avondale Cup.
She fought strongly to the line and looks a big improver.
Resolution fits into the same category.
He was held up for racing room when sprinting from the back along the inside at the 220m, but the winner finished so fast it's difficult to make a case Resolution would have beaten him had he obtained a clear run.
Brian Hibberd felt Ombre Rose would have finished close than the couple of lengths she was beaten if she'd received a slightly better run.
"She lost a plate in the race and I'd say it was with a round to go when we shuffled a bit.
"She wasn't entirely confident in the footing either.
"But what the race showed is that people continually underrate her, just as we do that winner."
* Earlier, Concerto put up a remarkable debut performance to win the $20,000 Frank Sing Barristers Juvenile.
The Stravinsky colt looked to add to the disadvantage of his wide gate when he was a little slow to begin, but it ended up helping him.
Rider Sam Spratt ignored the temptation to work forward around a few runners and hooked over straight to the inside running rail and was mid-field at the 600m.
Pulled wide in the home straight, Concerto finishing powerfully to grab Tlingit and the favourite Nuke Time, who had fought a tough battle from the home turn.
* Spectacular Icon fell heavily when racing mid-field on the rails halfway down the back straight in Race 5.
The instant assumption was that the light rain on a firm surface may have caused the horse to slip, but none of the other riders in the race reported trouble with the footing.
Rider Patrick Ferris was taken to hospital with a cut chin and what appeared to be chest bruising.