Horse racing: Trainers behind Orchestral’s New Zealand Derby win know winning Auckland Cup won’t come as easily

Dionysus winning the Waikato Cup in December.

The trainers behind Orchestral’s dazzling New Zealand Derby win last Saturday know winning Ellerslie’s other great staying race won’t come as easily.

But Roger James and Robert Wellwood think at least they have a horse for whatever situation unfolds on this Saturday’s $500,000 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup.

The pair trained Orchestral to destory her rivals in the $1 million Trackside Derby and she is now enjoying a well-earned rest and will return to work next week before being set for a Sydney campaign.

“The only race locked in is the Vinery Stakes [March 30] and no decisions on anything else will be made until after that,” says Wellwood.

The Cambridge partners want to add a Cup to their Derby though and have two of Saturday’s favourites in Dionysus and newcomer Mark Twain, having his first shot at at big-time Cups racing.

Bookmakers can’t split the pair as $6 equal second favourites and Wellwood said that is almost how he and James view it, with little between them.

“If I had to go for one, I think it might narrowly be Dionysus because he has been there, done that,” he says.

“He is more experienced and a more furnished horse. I also think he can probably be ridden in more different ways whereas Mark Twain is a really natural stayer who will settle back.

“So narrowly Dionysus but that could change depending on the tempo.”

That is the beauty of the stable’s one-two punch, with Dionysus agile enough to be a winning chance if the Cup becomes more tactical whereas Mark Twain would thrive on a lung-searing 3200m that suited the best stayers.

“We couldn’t be happier with our two, they are where they need to be but the favourite Asterix is going to be hard to beat,” says Wellwood.

“He won the Derby two years ago and was very impressive in the Avondale Cup so is the one to beat.”

The Cup is full of previous major Cup winners and will also double as the last start of topweight Prise De Fer, who is likely to head into retirement after the race.

It is the title race of Saturday’s meeting which also hosts the $450,000 Sistema Stakes and the $450,000 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes for the weight-for-age horses.

Hot favourite Legarto drew seemingly perfectly at barrier two in the Bonecrusher, giving her the opportunity to settle handy to the speed in a race that could, like so many Ellerslie weight-for-age 2000m races, lack real tempo.

The bookmakers aren’t given much away with her though, opening Legarto $1.45, meaning the other 10 starters are all paying $11 or more.

Karaka Million winner Velocious has opened the $2.20 favourite for the Sistema over unbeaten Captured By Love at $2.80 in one of the only two Group 1 juvenile races held in New Zealand each season.

** Champion Kiwi sprinter Imperatriz will jump from barrier three in the A$1.5m Newmarket Handicap at Flemington on Saturday.

She will be trying to emulate the great mare Black Caviar in carrying 58kgs to win the sprint and is a $2.70 favourite after her biggest threat Private Eye pulled out of the race at acceptance time.

The Newmarket will be run earlier than usual at 5.05pm New Zealand time, because of a heatwave forecast for Melbourne on Saturday.