Racing: Victory to make rushed trip north worthwhile

On Monday night Balcairn, North Canterbury, trainer Karen Parsons made a call to Waikato and heard the Te Rapa track was heavy.

Parsons and husband and training partner John, cancelled the trip north with $33,500 Braxton Waikato Steeplechase contender Honour Victory and top class sprinter O'Cartier.

"At 8 o'clock on Tuesday morning John told me to double check because he'd heard Te Rapa wasn't that bad," said Parsons yesterday.

"I found out he was right and I had three hours to pack myself and the horses for the trip north."

Yesterday, standing outside the hairdresser's salon at Levin where she'd just been because she hadn't had time to pack all the right personal gear, Parsons said she was looking forward to tomorrow's Waikato Steeplechase and to O'Cartier running in the $32,500 Fairview Motors Sprint.

Honour Victory, having his first North Island start, has had four wins from nine steeplechasing starts.

He looked exciting this time last year when he began a winning treble over the bigger fences and was spelled after finishing seventh of nine runners in the Koral at Riccarton.

"He needs good tracks," says Karen Parsons.

Honour Victory got that when he teamed up with Melbourne-based outstanding jumps rider Brett Scott in the Great Western at Riverton two weeks ago and the pair won by just a bit more than 10 lengths.

"That dry track that day was the key to his win. The better the ground the better his chance on Saturday.

"He's only a little bloke and can't carry weight so when he's not weighted out of a race and he can find some footing, he's always going to be hard to beat."

Brett Scott again has the mount.

Mikemendaad's part-owner and trainer Raymond Connors will be respectfully pleased Proposition has had to be pulled out of this race because of a relatively minor leg injury suffered earlier this week.

Mikemendaad held Proposition out by 1.75 lengths in a steeplechase on this course last start, but almost certainly would not have been able to had Proposition not been knocked flat when Willie Winit lost rider Paul Boyland early in the race.

The Wanganui 6-year-old is relatively inexperienced, but his record of five wins from seven steeplechases is remarkably good.

He is a nippy, safe jumper who will give the opposition all they need.

The TAB virtually has Mikemendaad over the line at $2.10, clear ahead of Asset Stripper on $6 and Honour Victory and No Rush'n at $9.