By MIKE DILLON
You can't take the action junkie out of Michelle Hopkins.
The in-form jumps jockey might have spent a fair slice of yesterday in a helicopter over Ellerslie racecourse, but she did not let that stop her thinking even more seriously about going over the same ground on the Browne horses during the Great Northern carnival starting Saturday.
Just as well Hopkins rides game horses.
You can't nail her feet to the ground.
For its annual Great Northern press conference the Auckland Racing Club comes up with various theme functions.
In go-carts last year, Hopkins was so dynamic (for that read dangerous), you just knew that when the press were taken over the jumps course in helicopters yesterday, Hopkins was desperate to have a crack at flying one.
Mercifully that was impossible, but she managed to sneak a ride on all three tiers of flights and hung onto a TV3 cameraman as he hung out the side shooting footage.
Back on ground Hopkins was quick to talk to ARC racing manager Andrew O'Toole about arranging for Lost In The Rain a special trial over the water jump before the $100,000 Mercedes Northern Steeplechase.
Lost In The Rain entered racing history by providing Ken Browne with his 100th New Zealand steeplechase winning ride at Trentham last Saturday week, but is equally well known for causing the destruction of fine jumper Tassenberg last year.
In the McGregor Grant 'chase he dropped rider Brett McDonald at the fence before the water jump and put in his characteristically slow leap at the water jump.
Tassenberg cannoned into his hind quarters, doing himself mortal damage.
"I know he had no rider going into the water jump last year, but it's not the first time he has botched things - he hates the fence," said Ken Browne last night.
"He can be a funny old bugger."
Browne has a good handle on all his horses, but has no idea what spooks Lost In The Rain at the water.
"He definitely knows there is water on the other side.
"He needs to jump it boldly like he does all the other fences.
"Actually standing off it and letting rip is not a good option either, because they tend to land in the water."
Browne will wait until Lost In The Rain gets through his steeplechase assignment at Ellerslie on Saturday, a race in which the water jump is not cleared, before scheduling the trial.
"I want to wait and make sure I need him in the Northern field.
"At the moment we've got three really strong chances, him and Boon's Boy and All Rhythm, but there are Wanderlust and Fair Brother to consider and one or two others."
Browne will ride Lost In The Rain on Saturday and probably in the big one on Monday week, but may relinquish the ride to Tasmanian jockey Adam Trindler if Trindler cannot get down to the light weight Wanderlust is certain to have.
Trindler, who a couple of weeks back, rode the Tasmanian Hurdles and Steeplechase double, has been riding only heavy weights recently.
"The lightest he's had to ride is 66kg and I'm asking him to ride at 60kg," said Browne.
Browne will this morning determine how much overweight racing's judiciary will allow Trindler to carry aboard King's Court in Saturday's Racing Ministers Hurdles.
"I want Adam on because he's a top rider and I consider the overweight would be value, but it's a matter of how much they will allow."
Browne said he would prefer Trindler to be on Wanderlust rather than Lost In The Rain in the Mercedes Northern.
"I think the horse will suit him perfectly."
* High class English galloper Intikhab will now not be coming to New Zealand to stand at stud this breeding season.
Plans for Intikhab to stand at Windsor Park had to be scrapped when he aggravated a groin injury.
Windsor Park principal Nelson Schick is doing a loop of Northern Hemisphere racing centres starting late this week to seek a replacement.
Racing: Bird's eye tours really get jumps jockey going
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