KEY POINTS:
Mark Oulaghan has trained two winners of the Grand National Hurdles and he says Counter Punch would rate as good a chance as they were for the $60,000 race at Riccarton today.
Oulaghan, who trains at Awapuni in Palmerston North, won the 2000 Grand National Hurdles with Rand and last year's with Yourtheman.
He said Counter Punch did not necessarily rate as good a jumper as Rand but considering today's field lacked some depth, he had to be hard to beat.
"I think so, just looking at that field," Oulaghan said yesterday. "He's probably as good as what's around at the moment. He's certainly not far off them."
Rand was a star performer for Oulaghan.
He won the Wellington Hurdles before his Grand National success and in 2001 went to Japan, where he won the Pegasus Steeplechase, the lead-up race to the world's richest jump race, the Nakayama Grand Jump.
He also won a group-one steeplechase in the United States that year.
Oulaghan said Counter Punch's forte was his stamina.
"He's probably not as sharp as Rand. He probably hasn't quite got the ability of some I've had but he's probably a tougher stayer.
"I think that's his strong point. He sees his races out quite strongly."
Counter Punch confirmed favouritism for today's 4200m when second in the $35,000 Sydenham Hurdles (3200m) on the first day of the Grand National meeting at Riccarton last Saturday.
He got back in the middle stages of the Sydenham but improved nearing the home straight and finished strongly to be beaten a neck by Dan Moran, who is again a rival today.
Oulaghan said it was an ideal Grand National trial. "He got home quite strongly and that's what we were looking for."
He said Counter Punch appeared to have progressed in the right direction since last Saturday.
"We haven't done a lot with him, but what he has done he seems happy enough with it."
Counter Punch, a Yamanin Vital 7-year-old gelding, has raced nine times as a hurdler for four wins and three seconds.
One of the only two times he has finished outside the first two was in the $60,000 Wellington Hurdles (3100m) at Trentham on July 14.
"He just turned in a bit of an average run that day. But he didn't jump very well for some reason. He's usually reasonably proficient."
Counter Punch yesterday had firmed into $4.40 favouritism after being $4.80 on Sunday and could even be at shorter odds by race time.
Equal second favourites at $4.80 yesterday were Lindisfarne and Striking.
Lindisfarne is from the stable of another top jumps trainer, Kevin Myers, and has won his last three races.
Two of the wins have been over the bigger fences of steeplechases after scoring his maiden hurdle win, at his fifth attempt, at Wanganui on June 21.
Striking comes into the race on the back of a second to Van Winkle in the Wellington Hurdles at just his second jumps race for the year.
Striking's connections have been embroiled in a tug-of-war for the services of top jockey Chris Johnson, who is also being claimed for Dan Moran.
No rider was listed yesterday afternoon for either Striking or Dan Moran and it seemed the matter would not be resolved until a judicial hearing before today's opening race.
The weather in Christchurch yesterday was fine but the track is likely to remain heavy.
* The start time for the last race at the Canterbury JC's meeting at Riccarton on Saturday has been brought forward 10 minutes to 4.55pm.
This follows the fiasco on the first day of the club's Grand National meeting last Saturday when the last race was called off because of bad light.
- NZPA
