By Michael Guerin
It will be an avalanche of bet slips and mobile phones at Te Rapa on February 13.
The greatest day in Waikato racing became even greater yesterday with the news one lucky punter is going to win a service to siring sensation Zabeel. Or $65,000. Take your pick.
The promotion has been made possible after Cambridge Stud and the syndicate which own Zabeel donated the service to the stallion everybody is talking about.
Whoever wins the service can send a mare to Zabeel next breeding season or simply walk away with a $65,000 cheque.
To enter punters only need to place a $20 bet on any horse - winner or loser - in races one to eight.
Entrants will be required to put their name on tickets and place them in barrels and a preliminary winner will be drawn after races one to eight. After race nine one of the eight winners through the day will be the big winner.
The competition's conditions could make for some interesting sights.
Firstly, big punters who like to have $1000 on a horse will be better off putting on 50 different bets of $20 each - that means using 17 bet slips instead of one.
And to make the competition open to punters and breeders throughout the country they can get a representative on-course to bet for them, put their name on the tickets and then represent them if their ticket wins.
That could make for some pretty interesting cell phone conversations during the day.
"That way punters don't have to be on course to win. This will be open to the whole country," said Cambridge Stud boss Patrick Hogan, who thought up the promotion.
"I mean, a breeder with a maiden mare down on the West Coast might end up winning a service to Zabeel."
Remarkably, Hogan said that without even sounding nervous.
The promotion is certain to provide a massive boost to on-course turnover at a time when local racing often suffers in comparison with the feature races in Melbourne.
Whoever wins the service will have one week to decide whether to use it or take the $65,000.
"The way Zabeel has been going it could make a pretty nice investment for somebody to hold on to it," said Hogan.
The day is shaping as the premier raceday remaining this season, with three $100,000 races, one of them being the Sir Tristram Classic, which Hogan's Cambridge Stud will also sponsor. And the little Irishman with the big bank balance was not hiding his parochialism yesterday.
"We have been sponsoring this meeting for 14 years. It is our big local day and it means a lot to us," he said.
It is going to mean a lot to some lucky punter, too.
Horse Racing: Champion sire boosts Waikato's greatest day
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