Racing: Excalibur books ticket to $100k Dunstan Stayers final

Excalibur at Te Rapa. Photo / Trish Dunell

Cambridge stayer Excalibur booked his place in the rich Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship Final (2200m) at Ellerslie on New Year's Day with a gritty victory at Te Rapa on Saturday.

The Tavistock four-year-old needed a good performance to lift himself into a guaranteed starting position at Ellerslie. He achieved that in style as he outfinished a pair of potential Dunstan Championship rivals in Model Aye and Te Waewae Bay to capture the 2100m contest.

Trainer Shaune Ritchie was delighted to see his charge buckle down and fight hard in the concluding stages as he admitted the horse was still a work in progress with his racing manners. "It was a good tough win as he can be a very difficult horse to ride," he said.

"He has plenty of ability, but it has taken a while for his manners to catch up. He can do plenty wrong during his races and it did look like he wanted to knock off when he hit the front on Saturday so he's certainly not the finished product just yet.

"He is tough though and can stay all day, so you would think with his breeding he will only get better as he gets older."

Ritchie has always had confidence that Excalibur could measure up to the best and tested him during his three-year-old campaign with a start in the Gr. 1 NZ Derby (2400m).

"We gave him his chance in the Derby and he certainly didn't disappoint in finishing eighth to Gingernuts," he said.

"The Dunstan is a race that trainers target with their potential top-line stayers and with the increase in prize-money this year to $100,000 it's been tough to even get in."

- NZ Racing Desk