Racing: All in a day's work for Sarrera

Sarrera (centre) beats Nom du Jeu (right) and Samantha Miss in the 2008 Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Photo / Getty Images

One or two of the runners in this afternoon's $225,000 Mudgway Partsworld Stakes at Hastings are likely to become fractious in the birdcage.

It's the first major race of the season and the atmosphere will be electric.

Matamata runner Sarrera won't be one of them.

The former Australian galloper is a warrior - he's seen it all.

Sarrera is now officially nine.

As a 3-year-old he was coming up in the spring as a possible favourite for the Victoria Derby.

Close to the finish of the lead-up Norman Robinson Stakes he bowed a tendon.

A relatively low percentage of horses come back to true soundness and find their proper form again after that injury.

Sarrera came back to win $1.24 million, but not before other major setbacks.

In one preparation he had a severe attack of colic.

He was later found to have a cancerous growth and had several metres of his colon removed.

Last year things were looking promising when he was double-barrel kicked in the side by stablemate Mission Critical and ended up once again in the Werribee veterinary clinic - this time with broken ribs and a badly bruised and bleeding spleen.

Vets advised he was close to death.

Yet, here he is today, ready to line up in a group one race at a time of his career when most horses are either jumping or retired.

Three factors are against Sarrera: the likelihood of a very firm track, he's better over distances further than the Mudgway's 1400m and as a back runner he's going to need a lot of luck in running.

But he has what very few horses can claim to possess - real class.

Don't be fooled by the fact he finished unplaced at a recent run at the Te Teko barrier trials.

He got back and sprinted home stylishly late in his heat, greatly impressing rider Craig Grylls.

When the Hastings track last weekend was heavy, trainer Paul Moroney began to get excited about Sarrera's chances, despite the long odds offered by the TAB's bookmakers.

"He's won on good tracks, so we'll take our chances, but he is up to matching anything when there's give in the track."

Moroney bought Sarrera at the Gold Coast Magic Millions sales and trailed him up in New Zealand before sending him to the Melbourne stable of brother Mike, from where he has done all his racing.

"I'm delighted to have him back in New Zealand to have a crack at some group one racing under the guidance of our stable here."

At his last appearance at the races in Australia, Sarrera failed by half a length to retain his crown in the A$500,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick being beaten by topliner Pompeii Ruler.

The year before he won the A$500,000 Doomben Cup after beating Nom du Jeu and Samantha Miss in the Queen Elizabeth during the Sydney Autumn Carnival.