Mike Dillon: Sargent notches treble on home track

Banchee. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Riding contracts are not always what they seem to be.

The John Sargent-Mark Du Plessis travelling road show has been winning everything, but a riding contract - or lack of one - cost Du Plessis the winning ride on Banchee in the $100,000 J Swap Matamata Breeders Stakes on Saturday.

Sam Kelt, principal of Stampede Ltd that owns Banchee, originally looked to tie Mark Du Plessis down to the water-tight contract to ride his horses even though the former Zimbabwean already rode for the Sargent stable where the Kelt horses were housed.

Du Plessis did not want to be tied down and the end result is he does not ride any of the Kelt horses.

As luck would have it, it was Du Plessis on Australian filly Sister Havana that Banchee and Leith Innes swept past in the final two strides.

Miss Thorn showed she was a filly on the rise to good things with her close third.

Elle Tresor finished fourth after being on the speed and well-fancied King's Rose made up many lengths from the home bend. She looks like a filly who will appreciate distances greater than 1200m.

Banchee was the obvious highlight of a big day for the Sargent stable.

The wide barrier draw that hampered the class filly back to third place in the Karaka Million was unable to beat her this time. "When they get back from a wide gate over 1200m at Ellerslie it's very hard from there," said Sargent yesterday.

"But you can come from back and wide at Matamata."

It didn't look good when Banchee was parked three and four wide mid-race.

"Leith managed to get her in, but it was only for 100m," said Sargent.

Sister Havana was brave in taking a narrow lead in the home straight after sitting parked outside the leader.

The Queenslander looked as though she was going to hold on, but Banchee's drive was too powerful.

Banchee has had only the four starts and with better luck could be unbeaten.

Sargent rates Banchee very similar to her older half sister Katie Lee.

Not entirely though - Katie Lee is a bitch who will kick and bite anything in reach.

"Banchee just eats and sleeps - she's just a lovely 2-year-old type."

So much so that Sargent is very serious about taking her to Sydney for the Easter carnival - a reasonably rare sight these days.

"A race like the Sires Produce over 1400m would be ideal, possibly the 1600m of the Champagne."

John Sargent's run probably hasn't finished yet - he has the favourite Passchendaele in the $1 million Stella Artois Auckland Cup on Wednesday week and will saddle Handsome Zulu for the $2.2 million Telecom Derby next Saturday.

Passchendaele galloped at Matamata on Saturday morning and along with Handsome Zulu will do so again at the Ellerslie galloping session for Auckland Cup Week carnival horses starting at 6.30 this morning.

"Handsome Zulu will gallop with Stephen McKee's filly Adaline and Passchendaele will follow along behind them galloping on her own."

Passchendaele is the $3 Auckland Cup favourite ahead of Heza Karma Karzi and Six O'Clock News with Australian stayer Zavite next best at $7.