By Mike Dillon
Lance O'Sullivan will advise brother Paul at the weekend whether he will ride his powerful team at the Trentham carnival starting Saturday week.
The 10-times champion jockey has to convince himself he's ready for his first premier race meeting, to handle the likes of Railway winner Bawalaksana, Magic Millions favourite Tristachine, Oaks filly Soap Opera and juvenile Ete Pins.
The level of pain in the knee of his problem leg is a factor, but above all O'Sullivan's pride will be the bottom line.
"I don't want to go there and not ride to the level I know I'm capable of," he said yesterday after six rides at the Paeroa trials.
The ligaments holding a knee in place have been damaged and O'Sullivan admits he's been in excruciating pain jumping out of the barrier if the pressure on his knee is "caught wrong."
Frustration is obvious.
"Fourteen and a half months off is a long time off. I guess where I'm finding it difficult is doing well and riding at such a high level then suddenly having to go back to basics which previously came as second nature to me.
"It's character building.
"I'm going to push it though. I rode six today and I'll be on six at Tauranga (today). There's no good riding three here and three there and kidding yourself."
O'Sullivan has ridden his share of million dollar winners and watching him pick up his riding fees lately is interesting.
"I've had more expensive lunches than my riding fees come to at the moment."
The closest he's finished on the comeback is second at Thames and he almost looked pleased it added an additional $45 to his cheque.
"I think I need to ride in a big race," he says with a wry smile."
Promise Keeper in the deep end
Promise Keeper has been thrown in at the deep end in today's $A200,000 Hawkesbury Guineas, being run at Rosehill because of track reconstruction at Hawkesbury.
The Mike Moroney-trained Promise Keeper is the veteran of only one race, while his opposition includes group one winner Mossman and group winner Paris Dream.
One of the favourites Landsighting has been deliberately kept away from the main races by trainer Noel Mayfield-Smith to avoid getting a lot of weight for the race, but has still won $A73,320 to the $3250 Promise Keeper earned for his dashing Counties debut win on December 23.
"It's a big ask, but it's a handicap and on 51kg he's in with a hope," says Moroney.
"On set weights he'd be no chance."
Promise Keeper is part owned by Matamata veterinarian Jim Marks.
"The owners were keen to have him in our Melbourne stable because there's not much left here for 3-year-old sprinters.
"Having a crack at this race meant it was only an additional float fare down to Melbourne."
Class on show at Magic Millions
The Magic Millions at Trentham will replace what was to have eventuated in the Eclipse Stakes at the Ellerslie carnival.
Class fillies Tristachine and Superjet are back on track after falling off the rails slightly aiming at Eclipse victory.
Superjet, unbeaten in two starts, went off the boil in training and was withdrawn from Ellerslie, but trainer Frank Ritchie says he's on target again.
"But," says Ritchie, "we're going to have to prove a theory to be a winning chance in the Magic Millions. We've worked out now she's a filly that needs very little fast work.
"We're going to give her only two gallops going into the race, and not hard ones either. She won't have raced for a couple of months, so the theory that she doesn't need much is going to be sorely tested."
Trainer Paul O'Sullivan is delighted with Tristachine, who looked the best juvenile out before being beaten into a close third in the Eclipse and even then probably retained her title.
"It was a terrific effort. She stumbled after a few strides and lost two or three lengths and was still beaten only narrowly after coming from last," said O'Sullivan.
Horse Racing: D-day looming for champion jockey
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