Racing: Waterhouse wants another win in NZ

Gai Waterhouse. Photo / Kenny Rodger

Here's a perfect racing trivia question - what is Gai Waterhouse's sole winner outside Australia.

The Sydney icon's second may well be Swift Alliance in this afternoon's $1 million Berkett Telegraph at Trentham, although officially she trained just over 40 winners here when she formed a brief training partnership with Mark Walker.

Her first solo win with a horse from her Sydney stable was also in New Zealand and it would stump most - it was Basra in the 2005 group two Royal Stakes at Ellerslie.

Waterhouse sent Basra to Auckland where she finished a luckless 11th in the Eight Carat the week before her Royal Stakes win under Michael Walker.

Chris Munce arrived to ride Basra in the Oaks at Trentham, but the pair finished 10th behind Justa Tad.

Swift Alliance races in the same ownership as Basra, that of Philippine-based beer baron Eduardo Cojuangco under his racing flag Gooree Pastoral.

Gooree's Australian racing manager Andrew Baddock is optimistic about Swift Alliance's prospects.

"The horse's transport to New Zealand was delayed a day but he arrived safe and has settled well at Otaki," Baddock said.

"I was encouraged when Nash [Rawiller] was very keen to go over to ride him.

"He would have had a lot of good rides in Sydney.

"Nash has a great association with Swift Alliance. We feel he is worth a couple of lengths to us."

Rawiller partnered Swift Alliance to victory in the Razor Sharp Stakes at Randwick last start on December 18.

Baddock conceded there was a slight question mark against Swift Alliance being as efficient racing left handed, although Trentham's dog-leg is something of a compromise.

When Swift Alliance won in Melbourne it was down the straight at Flemington.

He had a run each at Moonee Valley and Caulfield and was well beaten.

"I don't think the track was an influence in those races but the statistics don't look that flash," Baddock said.

"At Moonee Valley he was at the end of his campaign and then he resumed in the Oakleigh Plate and was stuck in the worst section of the track."

The Wellington Racing Club irrigated Trentham on Thursday night to take the footing from a good 3 to a dead 6 by 7am yesterday.

The club's expectation was that without any rain or showers the track would be back to a dead 4 this morning and by the time racing starts at 12.40pm the footing would be a good3. All three Australian sprinters - Swift Alliance, First Command and Monton - can manage, and appreciate, a track with a little yield.

TAB bookie Steven Hunt said yesterday that the big punters had so far stayed away from investing on the Telegraph. "It's been particularly quiet around the Australians and I think most of them are holding off to get as much information as possible on how the Australian horses have settled in."