Racing: Barinka to seek group one status

Barinka finishes best to win the Westbury Classic 1400m at Ellerslie yesterday. Photo / Natalie Slade

The Auckland Racing Club faced a major challenge from five years ago.

The first was how to build an undercard from scratch when it developed a new Derby-Auckland Cup carnival in March, while at the same time leaving the rest of the Christmas/New Year carnival where it was.

Then three years ago the resources were stretched further when the ARC had to find extra funding after then Racing Minister Winston Peters found a multimillion-dollar grant for the major races.

The more the club had to put into the $2.2 million NZ Derby and $1 million Auckland Cup, the less it had to plough into supporting races.

One of the success stories is yesterday's $45,000 Westbury Classic, won well by Otaki visiting mare Barinka.

"We had to build a fillies' and mares' race and this is a race going forward," said Auckland Racing Club chairman Russell Warwick.

The race is underwritten by Warwick and his Westbury partner, Australian Gerry Harvey. In addition to the $27,000 winner's cheque the connections of the first three runners home had the choice of a free service to one of four Westbury stallions for 2011: Postponed, Swiss Ace, Red Giant and Cecconi.

From an outside barrier, Barinka was caught three wide in running, but that part of the track looked the best throughout the programme.

Favourite Eileen Dubh sat outside the leader and looked to be going strongly when she took over at the 350m, but was quickly eclipsed by Barinka, Her Royal Highness and Queen Sabeel.

"She'll be looking for group one glory in the Breeders Stakes at Te Aroha [April 9] after this," said Barinka's delighted trainer Karen Zimmerman.

Dancing Jess got home strongly from the back to finish sixth.

Mercury Mistress was a late scratching after rearing and going over backwards in the back parade ring. Neither she nor rider Alvin Ng were injured.

There are deserved wins and there are deserved wins.

Anne Herbert more than deserved her victory with Lucy In Disguise in the Singer 1200 Maiden at Ellerslie yesterday. It was a shame she wasn't at the track yesterday to enjoy it.

Within a three-day period two weeks ago the Herbert Cambridge stable: lost St Peter to a broken leg at Matamata races, lost Shivaughan to a broken leg at Pukekohe races and retired High Chaparral 3-year-old Best In The West through respiratory problems.

"It was so gutting," said husband Wayne Herbert, who filled in at Ellerslie when back issues kept his wife at home.

"They were lovely horses."

Lucy In Disguise looks extremely promising. She finished strongly to beat well-fancied Fantastic Times and looks a filly who will be really smart and run considerably further than this 1200m.

Matthew Cameron rode her further back in the field than when she finished consecutive thirds before yesterday. "She feels good when she's allowed to relax."

Ann and Wayne Herbert raced and trained the sister, City Blues and Lucy In Disguise is raced by Russell Mead, who paid just $5000 for her.

"I bought the half brother by Don Eduardo at the sales this year for $16,000 and he's a cracker," said Mead.

Trainer Richard Collett had satellite communication to thank when Shantaine scored a big win under 59kg at Ellerslie yesterday.

Collett, in Australia for a wedding, was on the cellphone immediately to owner Gerald Shand.

"He said to tell Leith [Innes] that it was a good ride," said Shand.

"I don't know where he saw the race, he didn't get around to telling me."

The 59kg is a big weight for a mare. Despite that, Shantaine showed tremendous fight in a three-way finish, beating The Grey Storm by a bare nose.

Linda Laing owned up to her understandable tears and rider Rogan Norvall claimed he was wiping his eyes because of track particles.

It was a touching moment after the fabulous win by Veyron, the favourite horse of Linda Laing's husband "Lumpy" Laing, who died suddenly two months ago.

"This was Lumpy's favourite horse," said Laing of her late husband, a member of the track staff at the Cambridge training centre.

Norvall "did a Damien Oliver" in saluting to the sky in honour of Lumpy Laing as Veyron crossed the finish comfortably clear of Aspinal.

It was something made famous by Damien Oliver, saluting his brother Jason, who had died only days before Oliver won the 2002 Melbourne Cup on Media Puzzle.