By Mike Dillon
It took Colin Jillings five years to make up his mind to start Tangarakau over hurdles and in one start he is back to square one.
Tangarakau made a brilliant winning jumping debut at Tauranga yesterday but left Jillings with a question in his head.
"I honestly don't know whether to keep him racing over hurdles or take him back to the flat," said Jillings after Tangarakau had no problem justifying his impossible $1.70 odds with a two and a half lengths win.
Jillings said his alternatives are to chase a hurdling-Cup double in the $25,000 Whakatane Cup back on the Tauranga course on September 4, or a $20,000 novice hurdle at the Pakuranga Hunt meeting at Ellerslie the previous week.
"He is a 9-year-old now, you know," said Jillings, almost as if to exclude the rugged veteran from a flat career, but Tangarakau's form in the mud this winter has left little doubt he is capable of tearing off another handicap if the conditions stay wet.
"I guess the weather and his handicap may decide where he goes. He can't win on the flat now with 58kg. I'm not saying he hasn't earned that weight, he probably has, but it makes it very hard for him."
Tangarakau did only what Jillings expected yesterday after five years of schooling at Takanini by co-trainer Richard Yuill.
"He was just fantastic," beamed Jillings with a huge smile.
Yesterday's steeplechase at Taur- anga was even more notable. Ink Jet made his jumping debut to win nicely while the minor placegetters, Snuggle and Oscarwise were also having their first steeplechase starts.
Trainers Keith Hawtin and Graeme Rogerson have aimed Ink Jet at the Millennium Steeplechase at Ellerslie on January 1 and after yesterday are saying quiet prayers that the race goes ahead with a sponsor.
Tangarakau and Ink Jet were ridden by Ross Elliot.
"We gave Ross Ink Jet to do a bit of work with in the barriers after he had a problem by leaving his jockey behind in the gates at Avondale," said Keith Hawtin.
"Ross popped him over a few steeplechase fences while he had him and it really developed from there.
"He's got a lot of ability, in fact, we thought he was a New Zealand Cup horse at one point, but hasn't really delivered what we expected, but he's got a real future as a jumper."
Hawtin says Ink Jet has a lot in common with Jean Rapier, a horse the stable won the Great Northern Hurdles with, even a part-owner, George McRae.
"Like Jean Rapier, he's a horse who likes to run freely and to get really on with it on reasonable footing."
Ink Jet will go back to Tauranga for his second steeplechase on September 4 and a week later will take the Ellerslie hill for the first time.
"Let's just hope that big steeplechase in January goes ahead," Hawtin said.
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