Racing: West Coast track too dry for Bejayjay

Levin trainer Peter McKenzie was not sharing the optimism of TAB bookmakers for Bejayjay in today's feature at the annual Kumara meeting on the West Coast.

Bejayjay was listed yesterday as a $4.50 favourite on the TAB's fixed-odds market to win the $27,500 Kumara Gold Nuggets Handicap (2130m).

McKenzie said though rain was predicted he doubted it would be enough to create the horse's favoured conditions of slow or heavy.

"Having just walked the track I am less than optimistic," McKenzie said yesterday.

"Even if there was torrential rain that wouldn't make it a soft track.

"I think there are other horses in there that can cope with a better track better than Bejayjay."

McKenzie said the Kumara track was much improved and now had good drainage.

"In the Kumara days of old I would have been hopeful of a track to suit but I think you'll find it will be a good track tomorrow."

McKenzie said Bejayjay might get his best chance at the Greymouth meeting next Saturday.

The 8-year-old gelding remains a contender for the group one $250,000 Wellington Cup (3200m) at Trentham on January 28.

"I'll leave him in there to the end. If we got a really wet track he would go around. He'll be fit enough."

Bejayjay was the topweight for last year's Wellington Cup but McKenzie was disappointed with the weight and the horse was withdrawn.

The horse has been a good performer with 10 wins from 57 starts, including victory in the winter feature of the group three 2004 Cornwall Handicap (2200m) at Ellerslie. Nine of his wins have been on either slow or heavy tracks and the other was on a dead track.

McKenzie said Bejayjay's future lay as a jumper, which may eventuate this year.

"He's quite an accomplished jumper."

McKenzie also had Empyreal entered in the Kumara Gold Nuggets but he decided the horse didn't need the trip south.

Empyreal is also in the Wellington Cup and McKenzie said he was tempted to put the horse into the race without another outing since finishing eighth in the City of Auckland Cup (2400m) on January 1.

McKenzie has four other horses entered for Kumara. They are Sarin (race three), Zaurak (race four), Flurry (race eight) and Miles (race 10). He said Miles was the best chance.

The topweight with 58kg for the Kumara Gold Nuggets is the Wanganui-trained Starbo.

The durable 8-year-old gelding should be improved after two unplaced outings up to 1600m so far this campaign and was yesterday a $6.50 third favourite on the fixed-odds market.

Starbo has racked up 16 wins from 84 starts. Three of those have been over jumps, including the Great Northern Hurdles at Ellerslie last September.

His trainer Allan James hopes Starbo will be selected to represent New Zealand in the world's richest jumps race, the US$1.3 million Nakayama Grand Jump in Japan in April.

But in the meantime James also has his eyes on the Wellington Cup and said today's race would serve as a final dress rehearsal. Starbo prefers wet tracks.

- NZPA