Racing: Colgan toasts Spin Around's upset win

Vinny Colgan won't have to buy beer for a long time.

Ten minutes after winning yesterday's $1 million Stella Artois Auckland Cup at Ellerslie on upsetter Spin Around, Colgan was passed a beer on the birdcage victory dais.

Guess what brand it was?

Yes, it was Stella Artois, and you get only $1.50 for getting it right.

Colgan swigged the beer as he waited on the end of the celebration line that included Prime Minister John Key, Mayor of Auckland John Banks and Racing Minister John Carter.

When it was Colgan's turn to go before the microphone he carried the bottle with him.

Prearranged for the race sponsors?

You'll have to ask Vinny Colgan, but there's a whisper the Academy Awards have been mentioned.

Colgan was entitled to be as happy as trainer Steven Cooper, Hong Kong owner Danny Wong and Cooper's partner, who could not have been contained by the world's strongest leg rope immediately after the field went across the line.

The Matamata jockey said he went into the race with no particular confidence at all, despite Spin Around finishing a brave second on Sunday to Capecover, who pushed Six O'Clock News for favouritism yesterday.

One was at $4.70 and Spin Around at 13 times that price.

"I thought he was only a nice ride.

"I know he was second in the Nathans, but I didn't really think he could win on that run."

Colgan admitted he had a lot of the luck other jockeys didn't enjoy because of the muddling pace of much of the Cup.

"I was nicely placed one off about fourth or fifth.

"Opie [Bosson] obviously hadn't been happy the pace had dropped off down the straight the first time and he shot around and injected some speed.

"When that happened, the other jockeys stayed where they were.

"If Opie [riding Mandela] hadn't come around, half the field would have and we'd have been shuffled back.

"It really worked in our favour."

Despite that luck, Colgan said he was never confident of winning in running.

"He felt like he was travelling only fairly across the top [700m] and I toyed with the idea of going around them four and five wide, but didn't.

"When we got into the straight and I got him balanced, I gave him a couple and I realised I had plenty of horse under me."

That was no surprise to Steven Cooper.

"I told Vinny to sit, sit, sit.

"I told him not to ask the horse until he had him properly balanced."

Spin Around sprinted brilliantly when Colgan pressed the button and he claimed Mr Tipsy and Mandela in quick time and the race was virtually over at the 200m.

The slow early and middle sections of the race scuttled many of the favoured runners.

The two favourites, Six O'Clock News and Capecover, got back as planned, but when the pace was poured on only from the 1000m they were inconvenienced.

Six O'Clock News and to a slightly lesser extent the Australian-trained Capecover made ground, but were never going to play a hand on the finish. Virtually the first three at the 400m were the first three home.

The no-speed blight of many of the summer's staying races claimed more victims.

Punters got a hiding everywhere.

My Tipsy was well fancied in finishing second, but third-placed Mandela, who was runnerup in Xcellent's New Zealand Derby, had finished last in his lead-in race and was at massive odds like the winner.

Owner Danny Wong arrived in New Zealand at 7.30am yesterday to watch the race.

Biggest racing thrill?

"Yes, I'd have to say so."

Spin Around won "six or seven races" in Hong Kong for Wong, who felt the horse would be better suited by the kinder New Zealand conditions and sent him to Steven Cooper at his Brookby Stables.

The 52-year-old Cooper, who prepares his team at Ardmore, got his grounding in horses in an unusual way - he was a member of the royal family's Blues and Royals cavalry for many years before relocating to the Southern Hemisphere.

Cup finish

* 15-14 Spin Around (5) V Colgan 1
* 3-5 Mr Tipsy (10) M Coleman 2
* 11-11 Mandela (1) O Bosson 3

Win: $57.90. Places: $12.30, $3.50, $9.20. Quinella: $261.10. Trifecta: $12,372.40.