By Mike Dillon
It is Jim Gibbs' turn.
The astute Matamata trainer has already had a huge Ellerslie Carnival without even producing a winner.
Gibbs trained Roger James, who in quick time won the Derby with Roysyn and who in turn trained Ross Taylor, So Casual's Derby-winning trainer of last Friday.
For Gibbs that was about pride. Today it's about money.
Gibbs wants today's $350,000 Blue Star Auckland Cup with Crimson.
It's not going to be easy. Crimson is talented - she has got the class to win comfortably - but as Gibbs is happy to admit, she can be a right bitch.
Compliance can win races. Crimson has never heard of it. She can be trucking along nicely in the middle stage of a race and suddenly drop a length or two through disinterest.
But she can turn on a withering amount of tough stamina when that takes her fancy and every race she's ever had suggested she was waiting for this - her first attempt at 3200m.
Crimson's Australian rider Damien Oliver is seriously good and he's going to have to be today.
The No 2 barrier draw is not perfect for a horse who likes plenty of racing room and is inclined to get back early. Barrier No 7 or No 8 would have given Oliver a few more options.
Oliver's best asset, his quiet, relaxed style, has won him a heap of major races, but it would count against him today if he let it.
Crimson needs bullying and Oliver will be aware of that, waiting for the possibility of her switching off.
While main rival Dannevegas has done everything right in her lead-up, winning both middle distance starts this campaign, Crimson's form has been characteristically mixed.
She did absolutely nothing when beaten favourite in the Queen Elizabeth Handicap on Boxing Day, the effort being so ordinary you almost have to put it in the too-bad-to-be-true basket.
You might find subsequent form will prove the Queen Elizabeth to be a race to be ignored. What didn't help Crimson was a tough leader's bias, which made it impossible to make ground from the back.
Gibbs is not excusing the performance, but says he went a fair way to explaining it when he clocked the race off the video coverage.
"She ran in from the 1200m in 1.13 and from the 600m in 34. I wasn't sure of the 600m marker on the outside running rail, but for certain it was a pretty tough sprint home."
Gibbs cannot fault Crimson's condition and was heartened by what he describes as slightly improved trackwork at Matamata on Wednesday morning.
Gibbs has done his bit, it's now over to the considerable talented of Damien Oliver.
Dannevegas is going to similarly benefit from the services of Opie Bosson, who you rarely catch doing much wrong in major races.
Perhaps it is indicative of the field, but Dannevegas has a couple of things against her in that she has had only the one run right-handed and that was in last Saturday's 1600m Kings Plate.
And if she wins she will almost certainly create something of a record as an Auckland Cup champion with only three starts beyond 1600m to her name.
"I liked the way she ran home in the Kings Plate," said Gibbs of Dannevegas. "It was a top run and so was her Waikato Cup win."
Senior co-trainer Jeff Lynds is unconcerned about any of Dannevegas' negatives.
"She's doing very well and I'm extremely happy with her," he said yesterday.
Mulqueen has long been under-rated. His Waikato Cup second to Dannevegas was a top trial, given he challenged the leaders a fair way out.
He has the advantage of being able to race handy and while he has yet to prove he can run out 3200m, he fights extremely hard in the closing stages.
Emerald's Manawatu Cup win in fast time was achieved suggesting she is looking for the 3200m.
Earlier she ground home strongly for sixth in the Avondale Cup and is nicely placed in the weights on 53kg.
This will send a few screaming in horror, but it might pay to give Denholm just one more chance.
He falls into the same category as Crimson in having his Queen Elizabeth run ignored and beyond that he had only the one start after joining Laurie Laxon's stable and in that Laxon says he wasn't ridden the way he wanted.
If you are prepared to take the risk on Denholm you will get over the odds.
It is a bit early in Scud's career, but trainer Graeme Rogerson fancies his chances and Irish Chance is likely to appreciate his first look at 3200m.
His finishing efforts in recent starts have been impressive and the Jillings/Yuill stable knows how to get them ready for these big assignments.
Jimineate is as good as any for a real boilover. His Queen Elizabeth effort was pretty good, grinding home nicely as if the 3200m would be appreciated.
Horse Racing: Crimson up to a tough ask
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