Treasure a gem for Phelan
RIDER Shaun Phelan is confident Real Treasure is a star in the making.
The young jumper takes on top company for the first time in the $50,000 Hawke’s Bay Hurdles (3100m) at Hastings today.
“It will be interesting to see how he steps up to the next level,” Phelan said. “But potentially, he’s probably the best horse I’ve sat on.
“He’s only five and has got a lot ahead of him.”
Real Treasure, a Hong Kong reject who is now owned and trained by Ann Browne, had two hurdle starts last spring, finishing fourth both times.
“He was learning the game and still a bit weak last year,” Phelan said. “He’s strengthened up this year and improved a lot.”
Real Treasure was still able to win twice on the flat last year and has been a revelation over fences this winter.
He won a maiden hurdle at Ellerslie at Queen’s Birthday weekend, beating the $2.20 favourite and 2013 Auckland Cup runnerup El Soldado, before easily beating his Hastings rival Moni Nui in a restricted open hurdle at Te Aroha.
“I couldn’t go any slower on him at Te Aroha,” Phelan said. “He’s an ex-Hong Kong horse and has got that ability on the flat. I think Mrs Browne had planned to go back to the flat with him after Te Aroha, but he won so well, that he had to carry on [over hurdles].
“This looks a good stepping stone for him and he doesn’t mind a good track either. It looks quite an even field and Aintree and Just Got Home are probably the hardest to beat.”
The Hastings track was rated a slow 7 yesterday, which is in contrast to the testing conditions struck at most central districts meetings this month.
Real Treasure coped with a heavy 11 track at Te Aroha but won a rating 75 flat race on dead ground last year.
He is the most lightly-raced horse in today’s field, with just 14 starts, with Brer and Mahanadi the only others with less than 30 starts. Aintree, who is twice Real Treasure’s age, is having his 84th start.
Shaun Phelan
Real Treasure, a Spartacus gelding, was originally trained by Shaune Ritchie and was sent to Hong Kong as a rising three-yearold. He did not flatter in three trial outings in Hong Kong and was retired from Hong Kong without racing there.
The betting market suggests that youth will triumph over experience in the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles, with Real Treasure and Just Got Home sharing favouritism at $4.80. Aintree was at $5.50 last night with Waitoki Ahi, the 2012 Great Northern Hurdles winner, at $7.50.
Six-year-old Just Got Home, who has won five on the flat, won a maiden hurdle at Te Rapa last month, beating El Soldado, and coped with a sharp rise in class when the runner-up to Sea King, beaten half a length, in the $50,000 Ken Browne Hurdle at Ellerslie.
Since then, he has finished fifth, without having much luck in the running, in rating 85 company on the flat.
Aintree was just beaten by Indikator in the Awapuni Hurdles last start and finished a close third in the Waikato Hurdles. Between those two runs, he was a battling fifth at Trentham and will be ridden off the pace today.
“His jumping was just average at Trentham but he was better at Awapuni,” Aintree’s rider, Isaac Lupton said. “I think he’s better when he’s ridden a bit quieter and he got back at both Te Rapa and Awapuni. If he settles handy, he can get a bit competitive and start going too keenly.
“I think the trip suits him this week too. He didn’t seem as good in the Wellington Hurdles [3400m] and Grand National [4200m] last year.”
Lupton will partner Duminy in the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase, one of the few big steeplechases the Waverley rider hasn’t won.
Duminy was the runner-up in the Manawatu Steeplechase at his last start and Lupton rates the horse.
“I think he will keep on progressing during the season, as he gets fitter and the races get longer. The further he goes the better.
“He should give a good account of himself this week, though he might have wanted it a bit wetter.”