Kiwi won’t be intimidated by Aussies in Doomben mudbath
A Kiwi with a small stable takes on Australia’s elite in Brisbane today and Jim Pender isn’t intimidated but keen to aim even higher next start.
Pender trains just 14 horses at his Tauranga base, and the best of those, Gospodin, is perhaps New Zealand’s only chance of a win at a waterlogged Doomben today in the A$250,000 BRC Sprint, the Group 3 over 1350m.
For 69-year-old Pender, that means taking on ex-pat Kiwi superstar trainer Chris Waller, the Queen of Australian racing Gai Waterhouse, rising star Annabel Neasham and our own enormous transtasman success story Michael Moroney.
“I don’t find that intimidating at all,” says Pender.
“A horse like this, who I know can handle wet tracks, can win races like this, whereas I think you need a very good horse to go take on the best Aussie sprinters in summer.”
Pender’s confidence was boosted by Gospodin’s brave second to a race rival today in Blondeau in the Takeover Target at Gosford last start, when he had to come from a wider draw.
Today, he should get the heavy track conditions that helped him emerge as one of our most promising gallopers last winter and into the spring, so Pender will be the only New Zealand trainer at Doomben today happy if the track becomes a winter test.
“He will handle that, although so too will some of the other favourites in his race, and from an inside draw this week, I think he can jump and put himself handy,” says Pender.
“If he could pull this off, then we would shoot for the stars and have a crack at the Straddie [A$1.5 million Stradbroke, June 11] because we’ve come all this way and you don’t get these chances very often.”
While Gospodin (R6, 4.38pm NZ time) would enjoy a mudbath at Doomben, the Group 1-winning Kiwis such as The Chosen One and Coventina Bay in the A$1 million Doomben Cup may not be able to beat hot favourite Zaaki regardless of what happens.
Overall, it is a quieter day for the New Zealand reps in Queensland, with next Saturday shaping as the best chance of major Kiwi success at this carnival.
● On the domestic racing front, there is a bit of something for everyone, with some talented 3-year-old sprinters taking centre stage at Te Rapa, the first real jumps meeting of the season at Trentham and some harness racing at Ascot Park Raceway in Invercargill.
Perhaps the most intriguing horse racing today is Helena Baby (R6, No 3), a now veteran who three years ago was finishing alongside Te Akau Shark and Melody Belle in our best races.
He has since transferred to Hong Kong, hated it and failed to show his best, and is now back with former trainer and old mate John Bell.
Helena Baby caught the eye when third fresh up on this track two weeks ago, and the wetter it gets at Te Rapa today, the more it will suit him, with the question being whether 1300m second up might be a touch sharp for him now his former grey coat has turned almost white.
Still, Helena Baby promises to add class to any winter races he contests and could easily win today if he doesn’t get too far off what looks likely to be a serious tempo.