Racing: Brilliant Mount Sinai does Browne proud

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They were superfluous words for Ann Browne: "I've always believed you have to have your horses fit."

If you looked closely, those words would probably be inscribed in concrete laid somewhere at Ellerslie 40 years ago, signed either by Ann Browne or her late husband, Ken Browne.

Stable runner Mount Sinai appropriately won yesterday's K S Browne Hurdles at Ellerslie and never had fitness been more important.

Several jumps jockeys said yesterday's conditions were the heaviest and most testing they had ridden in.

In Mount Sinai's race, stablemate Fair King, a Northern winner and as tough an old steeplechaser as you would find, could hardly pull his feet out of the Ellerslie track at the 700m.

He struggled to the point where he scrambled over the last hurdle to take fourth.

Earlier, Rosie's Revenge took 1:26.80 to win the 1200m juvenile race, believed to be an all-time slowest 1200m by a 2-year-old at Ellerslie.

Mount Sinai handled his task brilliantly, leading throughout.

"Normally when you're in front in a race like that you count 15 to the furlong and it's fairly right," said winning rider Shelley Houston.

"Today, 18 to the furlong is plenty fast enough.

"All you can do is basically keep your horse balanced.

"I knew my horse was travelling pretty well down the back straight and from what I could hear behind me I knew most of the others were struggling.

"I had a quick look around at the 1200m and I knew we were sweet."

Leading jockey James McDonald had no luck in yesterday's Castletown Stakes at Foxton, but rode a winning treble to get within one of Lisa Cropp's 197 wins for the season in New Zealand.

McDonald, for some time determined to become the first jockey to break the 200 barrier, reached 196 when he won the last race.

Earlier, Sangster, the $2.60 Castletown Stakes favourite, was struggling in the heavy ground at the 500m and dropped out, beating two home for McDonald.

The Castletown was won by the Kevin Gray-trained Testa Secret, ridden by Lisa Allpress.