Cameron hungers after Cup victory
Jockey hopes Who Shot Thebarman can deliver him a maiden Auckland Cup victory, writes Tim Barton.
Matt Cameron will be hungry for success at Ellerslie tomorrow.
The northern rider is on light rations as he prepares to ride the $ 2.40 Auckland Cup favourite Who Shot Thebarman at 52.5kg.
Cameron, who heads the jockeys’ premiership, estimated that it was “a year ago” since he last rode at 52.5kg, “though I’ve ridden plenty at 53kg”.
“This is as light as I ride and I wouldn’t do it unless I thought the horse was worth the effort,” he said yesterday.
“I won’t have much [to eat] today and probably won’t have anything tomorrow or on Wednesday.”
Most of the Auckland Cup riders will be watching their weight this week, with just five of the 18 runners having more than 52kg and only two weighted above 53.5kg.
“It’s going to be a very hungry jockeys’ room,” Cameron said. “I will have to waste hard but you get used to that – it’s part of the job.”
There is also the incentive of winning one of New Zealand’s premier races and a slice of the $ 300,000 first prize.
“He [Who Shot Thebarman] is by far the best ride I’ve had in an Auckland Cup,” Cameron said.
“I’ve won a Wellington Cup and it would be good to add an Auckland Cup. But it’s nice to win any Gr I at Ellerslie, especially on the big days.”`
Cameron will go into tomorrow’s meeting on 99 wins for the season and could bring up his century in New Zealand’s richest open handicap.
He was having his first ride on Who Shot Thebarman when the Awapuni stayer bolted away with the Avondale Cup (2400m) at Ellerslie on February 15
hat was the horse’s first race for two months and it’s logical to expect him to be fitter tomorrow. “It took a long time to pull him up [in the Avondale Cup] and he’s definitely going to get 3200m,” Cameron said. “He travelled easily all the way.
“He’s got a high head carriage and it might look as though he’s a bit keen but he’s a free-going horse with a high cruising speed and he just puts himself there.”
Who Shot Thebarman is the least experienced horse in the cup field, with just eight starts, and did not make his race debut till last April. But his form is near faultless, with a career record of five wins, two seconds and a fourth.
The Yamanin Vital gelding has had three wins and a second from four starts past 1600m. He has already been successful over 2000m, 2400m and 2500m and was beaten by a long head in the Manawatu Cup (2300m) in December, at his open class debut.
He has won three races on good ground but has also been successful on slow and heavy tracks.
His trainer, Mark Oulaghan, will be in new territory if Who Shot Thebarman wins tomorrow.
Oulaghan has won 35 black-type races but is best known for his jumpers and winter gallopers, and has never won a Gr I race or had a Gr I placegetter.
“It’s not something I’ve specifically targeted but every trainer would like to win a Gr I race because they are usually the best races,” Oulaghan said.
“It’s always good to have a good chance in a decent race.”
Oulaghan has still won his share of cup races, including the Avondale Cup, Manawatu Cup, Feilding Cup, Marton Cup and Wanganui Cup (twice), along with four wins in the Winter Cup at Riccarton.
His other feature flat wins include the Trentham Stakes and the Gr II weight-for-age Taranaki Stakes.
He has a long list of jumping credits and would complete a notable Ellerslie treble if he can claim both the Avondale and Auckland Cups, after producing Harvest The Gold to win the Great Northern Hurdles earlier in the season.
Oulaghan does not make extravagant predictions about his horses but is happy with Who Shot Thebarman.
“He’s worked up well. He’s pretty fit and it’s been a matter of keeping him chugging over.
“It was a good run last time and if we can get him back there in that order, I would be happy.”
Oulaghan will look at the A$1 million Sydney Cup (3200m) for Who Shot Thebarman if the five-year-old can win again tomorrow.