Racing: Empyreal at home on heavy track

Levin trainer Peter McKenzie has warned rivals that Empyreal will be at the top of his game in his defence of the Caloundra Cup on Queensland's Sunshine Coast today.

Fellow New Zealanders Sphenophyta and Ring Of Fire head the Unitab market for the $A200,000 ($247,500) cup, but McKenzie thinks Empyreal will be hard to roll, particularly if the track is heavy as predicted.

Ring Of Fire beat Empyreal by a neck in the Tattersall's Cup at Eagle Farm last Saturday at equal weights, but the Donna Logan-trained stayer has to concede 1kg to McKenzie's horse this time.

"Ring of Fire and Sphenophyta have strong stable credentials and are given high chances of winning the race," McKenzie said.

"But I really think Empyreal is the proven horse on the Caloundra track and over the distance [2400m].

"He's a tough little dude and he really tries his heart out. He won this race so well last year and he is back to that form again.

"They [Sphenophyta and Ring Of Fire] will be the favourites but they will have a job to beat him."

Empyreal has drawn barrier four and Chris Johnson again has the ride.

McKenzie is on his regular Queensland winter sojourn and Empyreal and Sculptor have paid for the trip's expenses with their placings in group and listed stakes races during the Brisbane carnival. But still he is keen for a major cheque.

"We have just been a neck and a neck away from a big one," he said.

Sculptor was to go for a spell after his third in the Brisbane Cup, just two days after running fourth in the Queensland Derby. But McKenzie said the horse had done so well he had little option but to continue his training.

He lines up in the Sunshine Coast Guineas (1600m) today. And while he is coming back dramatically in distance, McKenzie rates him a good chance.

"I don't know too much about most of his rivals but he should do well, particularly as the track is rain-affected."

If both horses run well today, they will race in this month's Grafton Cup.

McKenzie said now that Sculptor had passed a qualifying clause for the Melbourne Cup with his Brisbane Cup placing, he was hoping to gain a rise in the weights with prizemoney at Grafton.

"I've never had a runner in the Melbourne Cup and he and Miles might be contenders this year."

Miles was an easy winner of the Kiwifruit Cup at Rotorua last Saturday, extending a splendid run of McKenzie's New Zealand runners over the past month.

"I think that makes it nine wins from the last 12 starts in New Zealand for my horses," he said McKenzie.

Trainer Pat Duff is one who has seen enough of the New Zealand invaders for the winter and is hoping to get his revenge today.

He will launch a two-pronged attack with Lester Thunderwing and Rampant Lion in the Caloundra Cup.

Former Melbourne stayer Lester Thunderwing ran third in the Tattersall's Cup (2200m) at Eagle Farm while Rampant Lion was runner-up to Sphenophyta in the Ipswich Cup (2150m) on June 17.

Lester Thunderwing, a Tony Pattillo mount, has drawn barrier six while Rampant Lion, to be ridden by Joe Bowditch, drew alongside him in gate seven in the 15-horse field.

Sphenophyta drew inside Duff's pair in barrier five while Ring Of Fire drew the rails. Empyreal also drew well in gate four.

Duff is confident he has all bases covered to win his first Caloundra Cup with the meeting certain to be conducted on a rain-affected track.

Caloundra was rated slow yesterday and the false rail will be out one metre for the meeting.

"If the track stays heavy, Rampant Lion is a swimmer and Lester Thunderwing can also handle the wet," Duff said.

Rampant Lion was originally trained on the Gold Coast by Sandra O'Sullivan and has only been with Duff for this preparation.

"I thought his Ipswich Cup run was a beauty and Caloundra will suit him down to the ground," Duff said.

- NZPA