Central Districts visitors scored an upset victory, when Katie McKeen won Saturday's $40,000 Orora Kiwi Packaging-LRK Trays Kiwifruit Cup (2100m) at Tauranga.
Trained by Taranaki owner-trainer Gary McBeth and ridden by Robert Hannam, Katie McKeen was stepping up class after a last start win in a Rating 85, but Katie McKeen reveled in the deep Heavy11 conditions, to bolt away with the feature handicap.
Katie McKeen trailed early, until Hannam soon took control of the race, taking the six-year-old to the front with 800 from home. Hugging the fence while rivals raced wide for better footing, the pair raced away to win by 13 lengths.
Early pacemaker St Saturnin was another hugging the rail and beat the rest home finishing second with Celebrity Miss in third place.
"I had a nice trail, at 1000 I went outside the leader and took over at the 800. I felt confident as the horse was handling the track very well. She kept kicking in the ground," winning jockey Robert Hannam said.
Katie McKeen is now likely to return north for the Taumarunui Gold Cup (Listed) on July 30, which will be run at Rotorua this year.
"I would have preferred the Taumarunui Cup (2200m) to be at Te Rapa, she's raced so well there before," he said. But we'll have a go at it anyway."
"She likes a sloppy track, as long as the track isn't sticky."
"If she's good in the next few days we'll look for a race on the back-up." McBeth said.
McBeth bred and owns the six-year-old daughter of Keeninsky and Eulogize, in partnership with his wife Valda.
Katie McKeen has won seven wins and 12 placings from 45 starts and earned more than $108,000 in prize-money.
