Fantastic four to get Cup week rolling
A strong southern invasion will hit Alexandra Park tonight, writes Barry Lichter.
Four of the South Island’s most exciting pacers are poised to announce the start of Auckland Cup week by routing their northern rivals at Alexandra Park tonight.
Canterbury trainer Geoff Dunn launches his strongest attack with queen of the fillies Venus Serena, a hot favourite for the Great Northern Oaks, and Tiger Tara, a real chance of downing established Canterbury star Locharburn and northern pinups Maxim and Sky Major in the Northern Derby Prelude.
And Mark Jones will line up new kid on the Cup class pacers’ block Saveapatrol in the City Of Auckland Free-for-all after taking the recent scalp of triple New Zealand Cup winner Terror To Love.
While Dunn’s pair arrive in the north with impeccable formlines and last-start supersonic mile times to their credit, he is taking nothing for granted.
“They both seem really well and bright but from their draws they will still need a bit of luck,” he said.
Luck was against Venus Serena on her last trip to Auckland for the Sires’ Stakes Fillies’ Final when she panicked and galloped on the first bend when the horse in front of her jumped a marker and broke.
“There were suggestions she hit a marker, but she didn’t,” Dunn said.
“She just got a fright and didn’t know what to do in tight quarters. Most of the time she’s been running in front or outside the leader.”
Dunn said from there plans “turned to custard” when driver John Dunn pulled out three wide at the 1200m and was posted with no cover for the rest of the race, on a New Zealand record pace, weakening to sixth.
In her typical style, however, Venus Serena recovered quickly from the effort.
Venus Serena (John Dunn) will showcase her talents at Alexandra Park tonight.
Three weeks later Dunn handed the reins to his driver at the Rangiora trials, saying she needed a good blowout, and Venus Serena paced a sizzling 54.5 for her last 800m, pushing Sunday’s Interdominion Final contender Smolda to a head – “and jogged it”.
Six days after that, she rebuilt her picket-fence formline when running a near New Zealand record in winning the Yearling Sales Final in a mile rate of 1:55.4 for the 1950m.
And the following week she clocked a New Zealand record 1:52.2 mile winning at Ashburton, John Dunn reporting afterwards she “did it pretty comfortably”.
“She’s always been tough but seems to be getting stronger and stronger.”
While Venus Serena already has four wins to her credit at Alexandra Park, Tiger Tara is on his first trip north and will be having his first race right-handed.
But, if anything, Geoff Dunn suspects the three-year-old will race even better the Auckland way.
“That’s his favoured way at home. He runs in the Addington way so right-handed should suit him.”
Dunn said he saw no point in bringing the horse in to Auckland for a look when he had been happily buzzing round right-handed at Pukekohe since arriving on Saturday.
Dunn said rather than being flattened by his 1:52.2 mile at Addington two weeks ago, Tiger Tara “was jumping out of his skin”.
Dunn is sure Tiger Tara would have beaten Vice Chairman in that hell-for-leather mile had he got clear sooner in the run home.
“It would have been nice to have had a 1:51 mile beside his name but the one in the trail stopped on him and the one outside us held him in. He would have caught the leader for sure if he hadn’t been held up.”
Dunn said Tiger Tara had never stopped lifting his game this season, winning six of his seven starts, a surprising stat given he could not win in nine tries at two.
“His breeder [Ray Anicich] actually came up to me when he had his first start and said he couldn’t believe I was racing him at two,” Dunn said.
“He reckoned none of the breed could go at two, but they kept getting better at three and four and even five.
“Sure he didn’t win [he notched five placings] but he could always stay and some of his runs were exceptional.
“In his last run at two he ran second after sitting outside Someardensomewhere, who broke the New Zealand record.
“The harder they go, the better for him.”
Tiger Tara proved he was top class when winning the Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington last November when he ran the second-fastest time on record for the race.
“He’s jumped up again since then and seems to do everything so easily – takes everything in his stride,” Dunn said.
Evidence of the enormity of Tiger Tara’s last run was his fivelength margin over fourth-placed Saveapatrol, who will carry an army of southern support against the Cup class pacers in tonight’s Free-for-all.
Forced to snag back from the outside gate at the impossible mile start at Addington, the Christian Cullen powerhouse had to come wide when making his run from the rear on the home turn.
It was an effort that lost him none of the fans from his previous win over Terror To Love in the Invercargill Cup.
Saveapatrol showed he would have few issues with the Auckland way when beating Besotted, Let’s Elope and Pembrook Benny in a workout on the course last Saturday.
Nestled into the trail by driver Gareth Dixon, he managed the home bend OK and slipped up the passing lane to win by a comfortable length, clocking 2:44.5 for the mobile 2200m, the last 800 in 55.9 and 400 in 26.4.
But the best workout pointer for tonight came the same day at Cambridge when talented mare Averils’ Quest ran a supersonic 2:40.2 in beating Mista Mara by five lengths in the main 2200m heat.
With closing sectionals of 54.1 and 27.2, it was a winning pointer to her chances in the Charles Roberts Stakes for mares only, where as a class-seven horse she meets a field of inferior quality from behind the mobile.