KEY POINTS:
Getting up with the birds is a phrase that has an ironic twist for Jeana Annett and her promising stayer Far Away Places.
Annett is well used to getting up with the birds, being a trainer and trackwork rider at Otaki, north of Wellington.
But when it comes to Far Away Places, who contests the $70,000 Marton Cup (2200m) at Awapuni, Palmerston North, on Saturday it has been a case of waiting for the birds to go to sleep.
Annett said Far Away Places had long been a fussy eater and in her desperation to ensure the horse ate all her food she would stake out the horse's stable at night.
That way she was able to deter birds from entering the stable and helping themselves to Far Away Place's feed.
"I used to have to go down at 9pm and wait for the birds to go to sleep as they would eat all her dinner," Annett said. "It was a bit ridiculous, really, but she's worth it."
Annett said Far Away Places remained a picky eater and as a consequence she was lightly framed.
"She's very much like a greyhound. It's very hard to keep the condition on her."
Annett said the only way she had found to get the horse to eat was with hard training and regular racing.
"The harder I have worked her and the harder that I raced her the better she has eaten.
"I've felt mean lining her up as much as I have this campaign, but it's the only way I can get her to eat."
Far Away Places has had eight starts this campaign which began 2 months ago and has really hit her straps since being stepped up over ground.
At her second start over a middle-distance, the Poetic Prince 5-year-old mare won over 2400m at Trentham on December 9.
At her next start she won again in a rating 92 event over 2000m at Awapuni on December 23 when coming with a brilliant finish from well back in the hands of Chris Johnson.
Annett said Johnson had told her Far Away Places was in line for a good win.
"Chris said he could see her winning a good cup," she said.
Annett has her eyes on a very good cup. Far Away Places was this week a late nomination for the group one $300,000 Wellington Cup (3200m) at Trentham on January 27.
She encouraged owner Eddie Aitken to pay the late nomination fee of $6750 after the horse came up well after finishing second in the $60,000 Dunstan Championship Final (2200m) at Ellerslie on January 1 at her last start.
"I thought that would take a lot out of her, with the trip and the race. But she has just thrived."
Johnson is not riding at Awapuni on Saturday and the mount on Far Away Places has gone to Paul Taylor. He rode the horse to win her debut in 2004 when trained by John Wheeler.
Far Away Places had three further starts for Wheeler but finished well back at each of them and returned to the Otaki property of owner Aitken for a spell.
He subsequently decided Annett could train the horse as she had broken her in and worked with other horses of his.
- NZPA
