Racing: Veteran jockeys impressive on appalling track

Apprentice allowances are extremely valuable in heavy conditions.

So is experience and guile as we saw in the shocking conditions at Te Rapa on Saturday.

Assisted by apprentice allowances, Lee Callaway and Ryan Allwood won three races between them, but it was two back-from-retirement jockeys, Lisa Cropp and David Walsh, who stole the show.

It was pure theatre when the pair fought out the finish of the $100,000 Travis Stakes on Kew and Tusker.

There was Walsh trying to steal the race on Tusker with a left-field call and Cropp, like a bulldog, chasing the pair hard until they finally capitulated.

Racing in wet ground is all about finding the best available footing. From Race 4 on all the jockeys were heading for the middle of the track in the home straight after the inside strip had been chopped up by the first three races.

In Race 9, Walsh woke up that if five races had come up the centre and only three down the rail then there was a fair chance the inside was the best bit of footing.

It nearly won him the race.

For almost the entire home straight Tusker looked to be comfortably holding Kew on her outside.

Kew wasn't allowed to think that because Cropp wouldn't let her. With that effective push, bully combination of balance and class that Cropp can produce she worked tirelessly to keep in touch with Tusker and in the final 70m pushed Kew's head in front.

Cropp doesn't beat up on horses because she doesn't have to and how refreshing it was to see Walsh attempt the unexpected.

It was a shame Haylee Baylee beat Bazelle and Jim Collett out of third - it would have meant formally retired jockeys filling the first three places in the group two event.

Kew deserved her win. Trainer Geoff Georgetti wasn't kidding when he said the mare hadn't had a lot of luck.

Two starts back Kew copped a horrendous mid-race check before finishing 14th of 17 runners behind Arlingtonboulevard in the Breeders Stakes at Te Aroha.

For all that, she mixes her form and her $62,500 winning stake on Saturday was $448 more than her previous career earnings.

Lee Callaway lost his 3kg claim on Saturday when he passed the 30-win point, but even as a 2kg claimer the Cambridge apprentice should not lack rides during the winter.

Callaway has good hands and admirable balance when riding out a finish, something he showed when booting visitor Baltaine to a narrow win over Hasta La Ciao Ciao and a gutsy Sir Slick in the open sprint.

Callaway's 3kg claim proved very valuable, but so too did his ability to get the freegoing Baltaine to settle back under him in the early stages.

Baltaine's co-trainer Evan Rayner came up with exactly the same line as he produced when the horse won last winter.

"Where do I go with him now? He's so far up in the weights.

"He was handicapped at 58kg today and there's a limit to how far you can go in that direction.

"I can't run him around for only a few dollars, I've got to find him some decent money.

"If there's another decent race up this way I'll be straight back with him because there's no money down our way [Central Districts]."

Rayner would like to take Baltaine to the Queensland winter carnival in search of a wet track and said he would be talking it over with the owners.

If there is any justice Hasta La Ciao Ciao will win her next start.

She produced a final 200m sprint better than most on the day and deserves another winner's cheque.