Racing: Blinkers the key to Kerry's Cup victory

Two points stood out after Kerry O'Reilly got punters over the line in yesterday's $100,000 re-located Counties Cup.

First, you can take the very short odds that the exciting Matamata gelding will take the stayer of the year title and second, Jim Gibbs is very pleased he made the decision to run Kerry O'Reilly in blinkers.

Kerry O'Reilly gives punters heart attacks: he wins by narrow margins because he never does more than he has to.

Without blinkers to make him concentrate Kerry O'Reilly would almost certainly have been beaten by Central Districts visitor Creil, who fought back bravely when headed at the 220m by the winner.

Rider Cameron Lammas said disaster almost struck when Kerry O'Reilly unaccountably dipped twice 50m short of the winning post.

"It was just as the other horse was coming back at us and it drew level again when we lost a fraction of momentum.

"I only just had time to get my bloke going again to get his head in front."

A much-relieved Jim Gibbs said Kerry O'Reilly was now back on track for the 2400m Waikato Cup, a course that would have been torpedoed had yesterday's race not been salvaged from Saturday's cancelled Counties meeting.

Gibbs, one of racing's most astute planners, now has to start thinking about what he can win with Kerry O'Reilly, who carried 53kg yesterday in a 58kg topweight race.

If he were to win the Waikato Cup his handicap from that and yesterday's win would have him very close to the top of the handicap and there is the $600,000 Auckland Cup in March to consider.

"I could run him at weight-for-age over Christmas - don't worry, he'll make a good 2000m weight-for-age horse if he's kept fresh."

As much as he proved too good over 2100m yesterday, there is no question Kerry O'Reilly is at his best at 2400m and there is no reason to suggest he won't successfully manage 3200m.

Melbourne Cups are a long way off, but he is one of the few we have good enough to consider for such a lofty target.

Eddie Tynan made a passionate victory speech on behalf of his fellow two owners. He paid tribute to the fact that Rosalie Eagle had agreed to continue Eagle Technology's sponsorship of the transferred race.

Tynan later said he knew the late Trevor Eagle quite well.

"It's exactly in the spirit of what Trevor would have done," he said during his speech.

Tynan said he took a Centaine filly half sister to Kerry O'Reilly to the yearling sales about eight years ago.

"She didn't sell and we looked around for someone to train it and Jim was the one. He's trained every one of Pegarah's foals."

Tynan is delighted Kerry O'Reilly is at Gibbs' state-of-the-art Matamata stable.

"It's the Hilton for horses," said Tynan.

Another visitor, Lord Asterix, finished third ahead of Mistrale, Kajema and Mandela.

Donna Logan said she was happy enough with her pair, El Duce and Zabeat, even though they finished out of the money.

"We might have got a bit caught up in the hype of how well Zabeat did to win first up over 1600m at Ellerslie.

"He's a natural two-miler and he was outpaced today. He'll keep though, I'll just keep him ticking over in these sorts of races and when the Wellington Cup comes around in January he'll be there and firing.

"El Duce, well he had topweight and had a firm track to contend with.

"That will top him off nicely for the Waikato Cup."