By MIKE DILLON
Ask Roger Brooks his record in the Mercedes Great Northern Steeplechase and he doesn't hesitate.
"Two seconds and a fifth with The Image Maker," he says quickly.
"And when he ran second in his first try he was the rank outsider."
What Brooks is not so sure about is how close he can go with Solar Rebel, clearcut winner of the $15,000 Mercedes Great Northern Trial at Ellerslie on Saturday.
"You never know if they can see out the Northern distance until they try it," said Brooks after Solar Rebel but on Saturday gave the impression he could have got the additional Northern lap of the course.
The secret could be the fact Solar Rebel does his preparatory work on the famous Ken and Ann Browne hill at Cambridge.
Brooks and his wife Heather moved from South Auckland to a stable in Cambridge last year.
"We're privileged to be able to use the Brownes' hill."
The Brooks are lucky to have Solar Rebel racing at all, let alone him being one of the favourites for New Zealand's biggest jumping race, after the horse suffered a nasty reaction to something just after Easter.
"He was a pretty sick horse for a while and all his top-end muscle fell away but, oddly, his blood was never really that bad."
Winning rider Ben Foote said if he had been aware the opposition was travelling as poorly as they were in the closing 1000m, he would not have made his move to lead as early.
"I didn't want to be left and outsprinted, but as it turned out all the horses were struggling."
Twenty four-year-old Foote nearly gave race riding away last year.
"I was sick of riding slow horses."
He is going to be busy in the next couple of years combining race riding and pre-training for the likes of Tony Cole and Don Sellwood and will add further to the load with the trainer's licence he has applied for for the new season.
Former Jumper of the Year Kildary King finished last, but rider Jamie Gillies was not prepared to write the horse off for the Northern.
"He was really keen going to the start, but when he pulled a plate and had to be re-shod he didn't seem to have the same enthusiasm.
"I had to niggle him all the way."
Kildary King tailed the field throughout, but Gillies says the big race will be different.
"They went a bit quick in this race, but they'll go much more steadily in the Northern and he'll be able to lob along a lot closer to the pace."
Stephen Douglas was not too disappointed in the fourth placing of favourite Prince Of Clouds.
"He raced as if he will keep going the extra distance next week.
"He'll be in it for the Northern if the track is either better than this, or is loose. He doesn't like it puggy."
Racing: Brooks hoping for fourth time time lucky in Great Northern
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