TRACK conditions will dictate the immediate future for classy Wanganui galloper Balmuse.
The former winner of New Zealand's richest race, the 2004 $1 million Kelt Capital Stakes, was to have made his long-awaited jumping debut at Wanganui today, but testing winter conditions forced a change of heart for trainer and part-owner Kevin Myers.
The tentative plan was to win on debut over hurdles and then look to back up in the $A250,000 Australian Grand National Hurdle in Melbourne on June 30, but that now looks a forlorn hope at this late stage.
The long-term plan is gaining selection for the world's richest jumping race, the Nakayama Grand Jump in Japan next April.
In the meantime, Myers is content to put Balmuse's jumping debut on hold.
"The name of the jumping race doesn't matter, does it?" Myers said on Tuesday.
Balmuse schooled over fences at Wanganui on Monday with stablemate Lindisfarne and jumped far better than he had been in recent sessions, but the holding ground placed doubt in the master trainer's mind.
"They went pretty slow, but he jumped better than he has been."
Top jumps jockey Joanne Rathbone rode Balmuse in the schooling session and confirmed Myers' observation.
Rathbone said Balmuse had not necessarily been an outstanding jumper in training and still had plenty to learn.
"At this point I wouldn't say he is the most fantastic jumper I have ever ridden and I wouldn't say he is the worst. But in saying that, he doesn't jump bad. "He schooled yesterday and he jumped pretty good. He takes a little while to get going but he's been getting better and better. Lately he's been jumping a lot better," Rathbone said.
Myers has entered Balmuse in the $70,000 Kiwifruit Cup (2100m) at Tauranga on Saturday and track conditions will dictate whether he travels north.
Widespread rain forecast for the North Island may even mean Balmuse will not race this weekend which would be a shame because the winner of this season's Rotorua Cup looked in magnificent order when the Chronicle visited Myers' stable at Turakina on Tuesday.
Balmuse is poised to break the $1 million stake-earning mark with $995,525 already banked.
Trainer looks before Balmuse leaps
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