Racing: Elusive NZ Cup victory beckons

Tauranga trainer Del Roberts reckons he is about due to win a New Zealand Cup.

Roberts saddled up Trebla to win the group-three $40,000 Metropolitan Trophy Handicap at Riccarton. The race is the traditional final lead-up to the New Zealand Cup a week later.

Trebla's win represented Roberts' fourth in the Metropolitan but success in the New Zealand Cup has remained elusive.

His first Metropolitan winner came in 1981 with El Questro but he had no luck in the cup, according to Roberts.

"El Questro clipped heels, nearly fell and ran fourth," Roberts said.

His next two Metropolitan winners came with Size Ten in 1996 and 1997 but there were mixed results in the cups.

"Size Ten got caught very wide the first year and ran fourth and the second time he was red hot favourite and ended up with heart fibrillation."

Given this history Robert's response is understandable: "So you can see, I want to get there."

Trebla looks like as good a chance as any of his previous cup runners. He could not have been more impressive in disposing of his rivals on Saturday, coming from back in the running and drawing clear to score by 2 3/4 lengths.

Top jockey Leith Innes has been offered Saturday's ride on Trebla but the question is whether he would be able to make the correct weight.

Trebla is weighted at 51kg for the cup but could end up with 52.5kg if weights for the race are raised.

The cup topweight at present is the Donna and Dean Logan-trained El Duce with 58kg but if he is not an acceptor then weights for the race will be raised 1.5kg to meet the requirement there must be a topweight of at least 57kg.

Donna Logan said a start for El Duce was still being contemplated.

Saturday's win was Trebla's fifth from 16 starts.

Roberts said he had considered Trebla as New Zealand Cup material for more than a year, so long as he started to settle in his races.

"I thought as he learns to race and not pull so much, that he would have good potential as a stayer."

- NZPA