Racing: Vet's hobby horse turns up trumps

Wellington Cup roughie From Heaven may have peaked with victory in sight at the weekend.

But his owner-trainer, Ian Shaw, sure still felt like a winner as he lingered in the birdcage to soak up his biggest thrill in racing on Saturday.

The Whakatane vet had always felt he might have a horse good enough to take to Australia in the under-rated Lord Ballina 5-year-old.

Finally he had a group one third and a $25,000 cheque to prove it.

"It's been my dream since I trained as a vet in Sydney more than 40 years ago to race a horse in Australia," said Shaw.

"He can go out for a spell now and I'll bring him back for Australia in the autumn.

"I've got a son who lives in Melbourne so I can stay with him, race for A$50,000 every Saturday, and have the club pay my fees."

Shaw had taken a gamble on his hobby horse even making the Wellington Cup field.

He paid the $3000 late-entry fee on January 19 with the four-race winner, but purposely bypassed the two qualifying races on the opening days of the carnival, banking on enough drop-outs for the PQ graduate to squeeze in to the Cup.

"I was a little worried about making the field for a while. After he won the 2500m race at Riccarton in November, I knew the distance wouldn't be a problem."

He legged up first-time rider Gary Grylls with one tongue-in-cheek instruction, "Ride him like Oarsman", the horse Grylls partnered to win the Cup two years ago.

"I did think I could win it at one point," said Grylls.

"He came into the race good but halfway down the straight we had to switch in. The first two [Zabeat and Gorgeous George] ran out a bit.

"I still thought he may dive at them but they kicked again a bit better. For his first go at two miles that was a great run."

Zabeat's rider, Peter Johnson, who won the race 15 years ago on Flying Luskin, was always confident he would win his second Cup.

He got a little worried when Zabeat thought he'd done enough with 200m to run but was impressed with the way the giant stayer lifted again.

Gorgeous George, a three-race winner who only qualified for the race with a second in the Cup Trial last Monday, impressed rider Lee Rutherford with this kick. "He gave me everything and refused to lie down," she said.

Rider Noel Harris said fifth-placed favourite Etoile Du Nord had every chance but was never really comfortable on the flint-hard ground.