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By Jonny Turner\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig Ferguson hopes playing chess rather than checkers with Wag Star will pay winning dividends in today’s Group 3 Central Otago Cup.<\/p>\n
Ferguson heads to Omakau knowing he has a horse to match it with any of his rivals in the 2000m feature.<\/p>\n
So the trainer-driver has been doing everything he can to encourage his stable star to show it to the big crowd that will be watching at Central Otago\u2019s biggest annual race meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can be a moody horse and when he is on the job he can keep rolling at high speed and be very hard to get past.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOther times he can be a bit casual about everything and he doesn\u2019t give you the same feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been working on a few things lately to keep him happy and bring the best out in him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a few troubles with his feet but we seem to be on top of them now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve changed his feed around and changed his work around and he seems to be in a good place at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is the sort of horse where it can depend what sort of mood he is in on the day but everything is looking pretty positive going into Omakau.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wag Star brings the best possible form reference into the Central Otago Cup with his third behind Republican Party in the Group 1 Invercargill Cup.<\/p>\n
The six-year-old sat parked early before slotting into the one-one and going a nice race.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was quite happy with his run it was his first run with the galloping hood on and he travelled well,\u201d Ferguson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he could go as well from the good draw (3) he has on Friday he would have to be a pretty good chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ferguson starts a strong team at the Omakau meeting including Turn N Burn who ran second on her debut on Invercargill Cup Day.<\/p>\n
While that looks strong form Ferguson wasn\u2019t thrilled with the filly that he races himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the sectionals she ran she was a little bit average.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe occasion of her first start may have got to her a little bit because it wasn\u2019t up to her trials.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has improved with the run and her work has been quite sharp so hopefully she will be harder to beat this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Babe On The Beach has been the big improver in the Ferguson camp this summer and she heads to Omakau in strong form.<\/p>\n
\u201cI reckon she has improved about three seconds this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s doing a bit of work and showing plenty of fight \u2013 she\u2019s stepped up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis week it will be a bit hard from the draw (12) but hopefully she can get a bit of luck and go another nice race.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ferguson also has Beluga and Franco Seb going head to head at Omakau.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeluga has been consistent lately and his work has stepped up a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got the draw and gate speed but he has made a mistake early so we will have to play it by ear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFranco Seb has been an improver his last run was handy enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe probably just needs a bit of luck from his draw (12).\u201d<\/p>\n
Ferguson drives most of his team with Mark Hurrell to partner Franco Seb and Riley Harrison to drive Babe On The Beach.<\/p>\n
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Pinseeker looking to slingshot them late in Central Otago Cup\u00a0<\/p>\n
By Michael Guerin<\/p>\n
Jonny Cox is hoping his rivals go crazy in today\u2019s $40,000 Ranfurly Transport Central Otago Cup.<\/p>\n
Because the Canterbury trainer-driver believes that could set the race up for his speedster Pinseeker in the signature race at Omakau\u2019s popular annual meeting.<\/p>\n
Pinseeker is one of the best pacers in the 2000m mobile but had an interesting 2025, starting with a placing in this race last year, a Group 3 win in March, competing at the Inter Dominions and then choking down to finish last in the New Zealand Cup.<\/p>\n
One thing which isn\u2019t in doubt is his speed and once he learns to control that he will sit comfortably in any elite class field in this country.<\/p>\n
That being the case he can win today but his fortunes may be dictated by what those drawn inside him do as he starts from the outside of the front line.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe draw obviously isn\u2019t ideal but it could work out okay,\u201d says Cox.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a lot of speed drawn inside him so we can\u2019t go forward at the start so we will have to try and sneak into the running line somewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen his chances might depend on what the others do.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they all get stuck into each other the we might get the chance to slingshot them late.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we don\u2019t want is a horse like Wag Star or Franco Sinatra to get an easy lead and enjoy an easy time in front.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cox says he has had to put the dreadful New Zealand Cup experience behind Pinseeker and is looking forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke to Mark Purdon after the race as I was following him and he said he could hear our horse\u2019s breathing wasn\u2019t right between the 1400m and the 1000m mark and then I felt him just stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we are sure he choked down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pinseeker spent two weeks at the beach in the care of fellow trainer Bob Butt soon after and pleased Cox by bouncing back with a third in the Green Mile at Methven.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has had his joints treated since then and has been working really well so he gets his chance here but so much will depend on how the race will be run.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only do you have those speedsters drawn inside us but a good horse in Alta Meteor drawing one on the second line by himself so he should be able to get away from the markers and into a nice spot pretty quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wag Star opened the $2.90 Cup favourite and was quickly backed in but while he has the best draw of the favourites it has been a long time since he won a race, albeit he has produced some smart performances in top class fields.<\/p>\n
While the Pacing Cup has a number of tempo-related scenarios the $40,000 Trotting Cup looks perfect for I Dream Of Jeannie (R11, No.5), who is in career-best form and finds herself in a field with plenty who are struggling to find their best at the moment.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the meeting Cox brings his talented trotter Prestigious (R8, No.9) to the lower grade trot and runs into a daunting rival in He Aint Fakin.<\/p>\n
The latter, a converted pacer, has won twice in three starts as a trotter and will be extremely hard to beat if his manners hold up in his first standing start.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe will take some beating but we really like our trotter long term,\u201d says Cox.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur boy is still a work in progress the win two starts ago showed he has a good motor so he could be in for a good year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Racing journalist Jonny Turner’s Five To Follow at Omakau.<\/p>\n
Turn N Burn – Race 3<\/p>\n
This filly looks to hold a key tactical advantage over her key rivals.
Every year it is vital that horses race close to the pace at Omakau as getting too far back can be disastrous. Draws are an essential part of the equation, with barrier 2 looking a perfect spot for Turn N Burn. While her key rival Cinderella Franco has also drawn well in barrier 3, Turn N Burn holds a clear advantage. If Turn N Burn can hold the lead it could prove too much of a task for Cinderella Franco to come from behind her or outside her to beat her.<\/p>\n
Sonofamistery – Race 4\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s simply better than his rivals and it is going to take a big slice of bad luck for him to get beaten. Sonofamistery\u2019s luck is surely due to turn after he had to be pulled up at his last start at Ascot Park due to a gear malfunction. The three-year-old was impressive in his prior outing at Addington, running to an easy win. At $1.14 he\u2019s no win betting proposition but Sonofamistery\u2019s race is part of the early quaddie, and there are Trifectas and First4s to consider.<\/p>\n
He Aint Fakin – Race 8<\/p>\n
This pacer turned trotter will traverse Australasia to have his first standing start at Omakau. While the newcomer to the trotting gait brings all the right form, he hasn\u2019t seen the standing start tapes once in his 51 starts. It is certainly something for punters to ponder and it would be bold to think he is going to ping away quickly and settle right up on the pace. But there is one man that tips the scales of probability into the positive \u2013 the old master Phil Williamson. Knowing Phil, he\u2019s put the time into teaching He Aint Fakin the standing start ropes and will have him prepped to make a safe getaway if circumstances allow. While some of his rivals are handy types, the eight-year-old should take plenty of holding out if he trots safely.<\/p>\n
One Over Da Line – Race 10<\/p>\n
There aren\u2019t the same concerns over One Over Da Line\u2019s standing start prowess, though there are some similarities between him and He Aint Fakin. Both trotters are out to secure penalty-free wins for their junior drivers.
One clear advantage One Over Da Line has is that his driver Riley Harrison knows him well. The trotter brings strong form in stronger company than he meets at Omakau and looks one of the stronger winning threats on the card<\/p>\n
Palladium – Race 12\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s another whose winning price isn\u2019t inspiring but that\u2019s beyond punters\u2019 control. Palladium was excellent in his last-start second at Ascot Park among a quality field of two-year-olds. He hadn\u2019t been sighted at the races since early October and that run is sure to have tightened him up for his Omakau mission. In that October win, Palladium handled older horses in style suggesting that stepping out of age-group company and back in amongst hardy types won\u2019t be a problem. After being a touch unlucky in his last-start second, chances are he will be in front and out of trouble this time.<\/p>\n
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