Tiger Tara deserves a change of luck

Trainer Geoff Dunn hopes his luck with Tiger Tara changes for the New Zealand Cup today.

Tiger Tara had no luck in the running in the Kaikoura Cup on October 31 and broke when challenging in the Ashburton Flying Stakes a week earlier. The TAB has listed him at $36 in the NZ Cup market.

‘‘He got squeezed up at the start [at Kaikoura], was humped four wide down the back, locked wheels and they ran home in 54.6 [seconds], Dunn said.

Tiger Tara brushed a knee and broke when sprinting hard in the run home at Ashburton. A one arm spreader was added to his gear for the Kaikoura Cup.

The Bettor’s Delight entire opened his 6-year-old season with seconds in both the Maurice Holmes Vase (September 2) and Hannon Memorial (September 11). He ran fifth in the New Brighton Cup (September 23) before running sixth at Ashburton and ninth at Kaikoura.

Dunn said Tiger Tara was training up to standard and in tip-top condition.

Tiger Tara will be competing in his third NZ Cup after finishing sixth in the past two years. The NZ Free-For-All he won last year is again a priority on Friday. His driver Gerard O’Reilly has driven in three NZ Cups - Tiger Tara (twice) and Anne Franco (ninth, 1997).

O’Reilly knows Tiger Tara has the class to be in the money.

O’Reilly said one of Tiger Tara’s main threats was Franco Nelson.

‘‘If he [Franco Nelson] gets a sit, he’s got the speed to run past them all.’’

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