KEY POINTS:
Trainer Mark Walker has unfinished business in today's A$2.5 million Caulfield Cup.
One of his most painful memories was watching Distinctly Secret knocked off his feet in the 2002 Caulfield Cup and fly home along the rail to be beaten into fourth place, less than one length from winner Northerly.
The Matamata trainer at that point of his career didn't have the accolades he has behind him now and the ill fortune stung, although few would ever be able to read Walker's poker face.
Distinctly Secret went back the following year and finished third in Mummify's Caulfield Cup.
Walker also couldn't get the group one victory in Melbourne he dearly sought with Darci Brahma, the colt chasing home Apache Cat at a time none of us realised how good the baldy-faced chestnut really was.
Given all that, so much rests on the sturdy shoulders of Princess Coup in today's re-run of the Caulfield Cup.
If you consider Distinctly Secret should have won the 2002 Cup - and Walker does - you have to give Princess Coup a grand chance because he rates the mare far superior to Distinctly Secret.
"She's the best stayer I've trained," he says simply. "She's got a much better turn of foot than Distinctly Secret."
Which will be needed when the sprint comes on from the 600m at Caulfield.
Princess Coup is great value at the double figure odds quoted both here and in Australia. With Eskimo Queen and Mandela also engaged, New Zealand has a marvelous opportunity to grab a decent slice of the big prize.
PUNTERS' PIN-UP?
The weight-for-age sprint at Rotorua today looks perhaps the most competitive race in the country all day, but Pin Up Boy might be able to live up to his name by the end of the afternoon.
It's never easy when you have approaching summer horses racing on rain-affected tracks and punting might be tricky at both Rotorua and Wanganui today.
But Pin Up Boy has solid wet weather form - unbeaten in three starts in slow footing and placed in two of his four in heavy.
Yesterday afternoon the Rotorua track was rated at 4.3 and slow, a keen wind and fine weather having brought the footing back from a morning heavy rating. The rating could be into the late 3s by the running of the $65,000 Lion Red Plate if the weather remains fine.
Pin Up Boy certainly looked the improver from when he finished fifth when back from a break at Ellerslie on September 29. He is a classy sprinter at best and although he has a talented line-up to field off here he should give a great sight.
Rabkalajo looked good when he surprised with his third to Dezigna in a hot field at Hastings on Kelt Capital day.
Everywhere you look in this field you see a potential winner. Rather than mention them all, let's leave it at two and hope.
The hottest favourite all day is certain to be Veloce Bella (No5, R7) in the $65,000 First Sovereign Trust Rotorua Plate. She was less than two lengths from Princess Coup in the Kelt Capital Stakes and every one of those horses that finished around her that day would be less than $2 to win this race.
The first bonus is that Veloce Bella can manage to pick her way through a mid-range wet track and the second is that she is one from one on the Rotorua course - always a big statistic.
The value could be Jovial Jock (No7) who won't mind a return to a rain-affected track.
After his second on debut Sandblaster (No4, R1) will go close to quitting maidens in the opener. It took a smart one in Somethymesoon to down him narrowly at Pukekohe and he went down fighting. Forever Roses (No10) is a nice quinella result.
The 2kg Cory Parish takes off Apatchee Tute (No1, R5) will be important. The filly has no slow track form, but managed a dead surface well in both her Dargaville win last season and when resuming with a fast-closing second at Te Rapa. She is worth backing and staying with.
There was something very attractive about the way Triplebank (No1, R6) left them behind last start at New Plymouth. With the extra 2kg pushing him up to 58kg, this will be a bit tougher, but the class remains the same. The more the track dries out the better his chances. Zergar (No3) is dropping back in class and has wet track form. He is the horse to beat.
Tzuhalem (No4, R10) had excuses when he covered a huge amount of extra ground from a wide gate last start. The way the track should be racing by the last, his No1 gate is probably ideal either, but if he can find the right passage he could be value in betting. Jimmy Jump (No1) is the course specialist in the race with two of his three wins coming at Rotorua, but the 58kg is a little concern.
Mickey (No7, R6) at Wanganui is worth a look. On the surface he had every chance to beat the winner Miles at Hawera last week, but it might pay not to forget just how difficult Miles is to get past when he's in front and on his favourite wet conditions.
