Racing: Caellum surprises punters

Trudy Thornton aboard Caellum takes out the $50,000 Counties Bowl at Avondale on Saturday.Picture / Trish Dunell

Nick Bishara doesn't go around quoting Bart Cummings, but he's happy to mention his name around his rejuvenated sprinter Caellum.

Caellum has won both his starts, including Saturday's $50,000 Counties Bowl at Avondale since returning from a 33-start career in Queensland.

Bishara is as surprised as punters over the return to form of the seven-year-old who paid $10.80 for the win on Saturday.

"Not many trainers can improve horses from Brian Smith's stable," says Bishara. The Ardmore trainer sent Caellum to the former New Zealander's Brisbane stable after minor placings in his first two appearances.

"He won five races and A$200,000 so he did pretty well, but he was a touch off the best of them."

Bishara says he and his partners were soured somewhat by Caellum being beaten by a horse that returned a cobalt positive.

"One of the samples was sent to a laboratory that wasn't properly licensed and the trainer got off the cobalt charge on a technicality. As a result we didn't get the winning stake and we were annoyed about that.

"We put him in work when he got back simply to try and win enough money to pay the airfare home -- now we're looking at the Railway (group one). I really can't put my finger on why his form turned around, but what did the great Bart Cummings say: 'Horses have to be happy'.

"This bloke is very happy being on good grass and not being boxed all day. He's been working like a machine at home."

Settled one off the fence in midfield by rider Trudy Thornton, Caellum finished too well in the straight for the pacemaker Statham with Riding Shotgun making good ground from the back for third. Whosyourmaster also came on late to take fourth money off his stablemate Fascination Street.

?Quality galloper Silverdale showed he is far from a spent force with an emphatic victory in Saturday's main race at Awapuni, the Bulls Country Cup. Despite an 11 month absence from the winner's circle, co-trainer Stephen Autridge had never lost faith in his charge although he did admit he was starting to run out of ideas with him.

Autridge was quick to praise the role of experienced jockey Darryl Bradley in the win following a faultless display on the six-year-old gelding.Additional reporting NZ Racing Desk