By BARRY STREET
Trainer Paul O'Sullivan has his consistent mare Beaujolais in the Governor General's Cup at Avondale tomorrow as a "bit of an experiment."
There were signs Beaujolais might become a class 1600m galloper, but that has not happened.
So now she is being tried - as with a few others by her sire, Classic Fame - over middle distances.
Beaujolais went to the line well enough in her first race beyond 1600m, the 2000m Thames Cup last week.
Neither Paul O'Sullivan nor his ace jockey brother, Lance O'Sullivan, became overly excited by that performance for second, a half-length behind Veedub.
Nevertheless, they thought it "not bad," considering it was foreign territory.
So it is another step up in distance to 2200m tomorrow, just to see how far Beaujolais wants to run.
If 5-year-old Beaujolais were to win the Governor General's Cup no longer would there be doubts about her destiny.
Opposing her are three solid, well-seasoned stayers, Rijeka, Glendara and Hidden Keel.
Rijeka's best recent effort was a second to Bluebird The Word over 2400m in the Waikato Cup.
Glendara finished equal third in the Waikato Cup.
Meantime, Hidden Keel finished only a neck behind the Classic Fame gelding Classic Babe over 2200m at the Auckland Cup carnival at Ellerslie.
It could be said that Rijeka's having to overcome topweight tomorrow is a big ask for a mare.
However, she does not lack size or strength to cope with 58kg, which is only 4kg above the minimum.
The signs are good that, wherever Beaujolais finishes in the first leg of the Avondale TAB double, the O'Sullivan stable should be to the fore again in the second leg.
Their dashing 4-year-old Kasman came back from a complicated wind operation last month to blitz a premier-quality field of 1200m sprinters at Te Rapa.
That earned him a pre-post following for the group one McDonogh Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year's Day - until he drew hopelessly at the start.
The fact that Kasman was able to finish only two lengths from the brilliant McDonogh winner, Fritz, from way out in No 14 stall is bound to earn him favouritism for tomorrow's Sheriff Handicap.
Paul O'Sullivan said yesterday that Kasman never had as bad a trip in the McDonogh as might have been imagined.
"In fact," he said, "he was only one off the rails coming into the straight.
"But he was flat all the way, so rather than run him again at 1200m we've decided this time to give him more time to find his feet over 1400.
"Both horses have worked up well this week."
Racing: Cup experiment for Beaujolais
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