Racing: Envoy on mission to end carnival misery

Ken Kelso doesn't have overly fond memories of Wellington Cup carnivals.

The Matamata trainer, who saddles hotly fancied Trentham Stakes chance Envoy tomorrow, has arrived with high hopes before only to leave disappointed.

First with an early 80s staying star, former Queen Elizabeth Handicap winner Amloch, and a few years later with the Lance O'Sullivan mount Ace of Luck. Both were well fancied Cup failures.

Then just last year he had Envoy on target for 3200m success only to late scratch the horse from his final lead-up in the Wellington Cup Trial because of race-day rain.

All that bad luck should change, however, when Envoy returns to top off his Cup preparation over 2400m tomorrow.

He should finally get a surface to suit and while he'll benefit fitness-wise from the Trentham Stakes run, Envoy is still forward enough to win.

"I couldn't be happier with him at the moment," said Kelso, who also co-owns the 7-year-old.

"He's forward enough to win the Trentham Stakes but it will also top him up nicely to get the 3200m the following week."

In hindsight Kelso believes it was a blessing in disguise missing last year's Cup.

If he'd run, Envoy would have had a punishing race to qualify in the Cup Trial, and Kelso said backing up again six days later over 3200m would have been his undoing.

Instead Envoy went on to become the late-blooming staying star of the summer and autumn, winning the Hawkes Bay Cup before a gutsy second in the Adelaide Cup (3200m).

While he may be nearing veteran status now, Envoy proved in Melbourne in the spring that outside of Xcellent he has the 3200m edge over most other Kiwi stayers.

After enjoying a perfect trip by rider Peter Mertens at Flemington, Envoy went up to eyeball Makybe Diva at the clock-tower before weakening slightly to finish seventh just 4.5 lengths from the champ.

"That was an enormous run on ground that didn't suit - it gave us a big thrill," said Kelso who collected a A$110,000 ($120,000) cheque for the Melbourne Cup effort.

Kelso gave Envoy a three week break after returning from Melbourne and has always had the Wellington Cup as his main target.

The TAB's $7 fixed odds Cup favourite yesterday warmed up with a ninth placing in the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

But Kelso isn't too concerned that he didn't finish closer.

"The track didn't suit him. It rained on the day and he's never really gone that well at Ellerslie before."

Kelso gave Envoy a final tune-up between races at Tauranga earlier this month where the gelding teamed with Cup rider and former Amloch pilot Grant Cooksley for the first time.