KEY POINTS:
Bulginbaah shed his wet track tag to win the $80,000 Challenge Stakes at Awapuni on Saturday.
Bulginbaah is trained at Wanganui by the partnership of Ken Cropp and Catherine Wilson.
Cropp was not on hand for the win in the group three 1400m weight-for-age race and Wilson made the most of the opportunity to inform the media of Cropp's 80th birthday on December 31.
"Make sure you put that in. He'll be gutted because he tells everyone he's 45," she quipped.
Wilson said she had worked for Cropp for about 14 years. She was apprenticed to him as a jockey and in the past couple of years has been a training partner.
Two of Wilson's wins as a rider were aboard Bulginbaah's dam Lady Tristimus.
Cropp bred Bulginbaah and shares ownership of the Starjo 7-year-old gelding with Wilson.
The horse has now had 41 starts for 14 wins, seven seconds and three thirds. The winning purse of $46,875 took his earnings to $298,000.
Bulginbaah had been better known for his deeds on wet tracks with all but one of his 13 previous wins on either dead, slow or heavy ground.
Wilson said there was always faith Bulginbaah would win a good race on a good track.
"Everyone said he was a wet-tracker," she said. "But we always said he would go on a better track. We just wanted to prove it."
The proof could not have been much more convincing on Saturday.
Track conditions had been upgraded from good to fast on the day and Bulginbaah was last early on.
Rider Chris Johnson was at his patient best as he bided his time at the back of the field.
Bulginbaah still had considerable ground to make up in the straight after Kristov reached the lead early in the run home.
But he unwound powerfully to run down Jurys Out and came away to score by 1 1/4 lengths.
Wilson admitted she had some concerns when track conditions were upgraded but was assured by the club's racing manager Brent Wall the track was not too hard.
"Brent said they were just marking the top [of the ground].
"I was more confident when he said that," she said.
"The horse just likes the jar out of it. As long as it's not flint-hard he'll go on it."
Wilson was not sure of future plans for Bulginbaah but said his racing would probably be restricted to weight-for-age events.
Jurys Out got home well for second after being handy throughout while $4.60 second favourite Cog Hill was 1 1/2 lengths away third after racing mid-field.
Half a head away fourth was Kristov and the same margin away fifth was Pinmdown, who got home well after being towards the rear of the field and being held up at the top of the straight. Pinmdown was later reported to have jarred up during the running.
The $4.50 favourite Run Like Al was sixth after being mid-field on the inner but raced keenly when the pace was slowed markedly in the back straight.
Jason Waddell, who slowed the pace aboard Smitten Kitten, was warned by stipendiary stewards of his obligations to other riders.
- NZPA
