The countdown towards the $80,000 Plaster Board Auckland Cup continues at the Manukau Stadium on Sunday with the $5,000 Clover Park 527m event being the feature. Pictured: Thrilling Boris following his Manukau 527m win last Sunday.
The Group 1 527m Auckland Cup heats will be contested next Sunday, along with heats for the $25,000 Railway Sprint also at Group 1 level.
The classy Thrilling Boris returned to the venue where he strongly won September’s Group 1 Waterloo Cup last Sunday. It was a winning return for the now three time Group race winner. Sure his 30.86s 527m time wasn’t overly flash (Boris owns a swift 29.97s best 527m time), although last Sunday’s time is more of a reflection on a fair degree of jostling that he was involved in when heading into the first turn.
It was Boris’s first outing since his emphatic 29.56s Hatrick Classic 520m victory late last month and he is expected to have derived benefit from that outing. Being allocated trap two for this winner of 21 from 32 races has further enhanced his claims for his trainer Karen Walsh.
Kennel mate Timmy Trumpet, who was a gallant runner up to Thrilling Boris in the Hatrick Classic, is also making his return to the Auckland headquarters. His only previous 527m outing here resulted in a third placing. He rocketed around the Cambridge 457m trip in a low flying 25.33s last week. He is required to hop away from the five trap for this assignment.
The Lisa Ahern kennels is represented by three contenders in this event. Adding interest to it is the track debuting Mark’s Boy, who has been allocated the ace trap to be loaded away into. He travels north on the back of his meet best 25.92s Manawatu 457m win on Monday. He has also been a consistent performer on the two turn Hatrick track.
Timma Turtle, who is also making his track debut, has delivered two competitive on the pace 457m and 520m races since he resumed a spell. That includes his 5.5 length second behind Mark’s Boy on Monday. He must jump straight onto the early pace when leaving the six trap here. Kennelmate Absinthe Minded finally rectified a Manukau anomaly in his eleventh 527m outing on the track. He had delivered ten unplaced races until his last outing where he finished solidly for his second placing in the recent $5,000 Auckland Anniversary Day Cup. He was brave when he attempted to lead a 645m Hatrick field throughout, which saw peaking during the run home when finishing third.
Gold Class owns early pace and it’s that asset that this proven Manukau 527m chaser must use when exiting from the seven trap for his trainer Denis Schofield. She used that healthy tactic when winning the Auckland Anniversary Day Cup in 30.83s two races ago, which she followed up with her 1.75 length 527m third to Thrilling Boris last Sunday after leading going down the back straight.
The Wayne and Tracey Steele prepared Opawa Kuru won his last 527m races around this circuit. Both wins came when he finished solidly with the last being when he snatched by a nose in 30.91s on January 22. He also must get himself handy to the early pace during the charge into the first turn.
Our Sambo has really stepped up to the mark lately for his trainer Mike Lozell. Last week he produced two bold 457m and 527m seconds, both at long odds, behind a couple of his classy race rivals here. Firstly he led home the vain chase behind Timmy Trumpet, 6.5 lengths behind him at Cambridge. He then backed that up with his gallant 1.25 length second to Thrilling Boris last Sunday. He delivered that from trap eight and he jumps from that trap on Sunday.
Sunday Clover Park Manukau 527m contenders includes from left: Timma Turtle, Gold Class, Opawa Kuru
Canterbury trainer Calum Weir has confirmed that the NZ record holder for the most consecutive race wins Swimming Goat is Auckland bound to contest the 318m Railway Sprint heats next Sunday. Weir advises that a small shoulder muscle tear, which occurred shortly after the 295m race start at Addington a week ago, has responded to treatment.
“He’s all good, it was a small tear to a muscle in a shoulder caused when he dipped just from the traps. It was a big effort by him to finish third. He is coming along nicely and with everything going to plan we’ll be heading up to Auckland with a team of four dogs,” confirmed Weir, who added, “It’s made it tougher by not trailing up there, but we’ll give it a go.”
Swimming Goat is seeking the Group 1 sprint double – here he is winning the first leg, the Galaxy Sprint (pic Dave Robbie) and post race on the Addington podium
Pawnote: Sunday, February 26 is Plaster Board Auckland Cup and Railway Sprint heats afternoon which will present high class chasing action at its very best. The on course promotion will be the All Stars Punters Challenge where $1,500 will be won by the winning team.
There is a $350 entry fee for teams of up to six participants. The fee covers a $300 betting voucher for the punting competition, while finger food will be provided to all entrants. For team registrations and further information contact the Auckland GRC on 09 263 7007 or email robert@greyhounds.co.nz
By Peter Fenemor
