Racing: Game effort lands the money

Strapped For Cash (right) gives chase to Amirar. File photo / Dean Purcell

There were so many elements of Strapped For Cash successfully carrying his 59kg to win Saturday's Parliamentary Handicap.

Only a couple of them made you want to shed a tear.

But they weren't tears as big as the opposition let go when the Te Aroha whizz broke their hearts down the terrifyingly tough conditions in the Trentham home straight.

The sad part is many would have watched the race and said: "Okay, he was too good for them."

There was much more to it than that.

Strapped For Cash led, but they took it to him from the 1100m. One by one they headed him and, under a hard ride from Michelle Wenn, he kept knocking them to the canvas.

You had to think that by the time he got to the 400m they'd gone way beyond softening him up.

When Herman Munster (6kg less) came alongside at the 350m it was game over.

Herman Munster put half a length on him at the 200m and you thought: "what an effort to run second".

Second isn't in the Strapped For Cash vocabulary.

He fought back not only to get his head in front again with 70m to run, he fought so hard and destroyed Herman Munster's heart so badly, he put one length on him in the final three strides.

Even that wasn't the end of it - Strapped For Cash was so strong he powered on after the finish and Michelle Wenn was flat out pulling him up.

Congratulations to David Smyth for the job he's done with this horse.

Strapped For Cash is heading towards quarter of a million dollars, but is a bargain-basement horse.

If horses had their attitude and toughness tattooed on their forehead as yearlings he'd have made $750,000.

* * *

There was plenty of attitude also in the home-town win by Upsala in the Westbury Stud Breeders Stakes at Ruakaka on Saturday.

There was enough petrol left to keep him clear in the home straight after leading, but there would have been no surprise if he'd started to weaken, such was the work he'd done in the first 300m to get over to the rail.

Upsala, by Oratorio, is built like a tank - he's got muscles in his ears.

He had experience on his side against many of his rivals on Saturday, but that's not to say he doesn't have a real future as a 3-year-old in the upcoming new season.