Racing: Harris sticking to Etoile Du Nord

For a while there at the weekend Levin trainer Peter McKenzie thought he had done enough to convince Noel Harris to take the Wellington Cup ride on Empyreal.

Then yesterday morning McKenzie got the call he had feared from the moment he saw Harris guide Etoile Du Nord to an impressive Marton Cup win at Awapuni on Saturday: The cup king would definitely be sticking with the punters' new favourite.

"The way Etoile Du Nord won you couldn't really expect him to take any other ride," said McKenzie, who immediately offered the Empyreal cup mount to Bruce Herd.

"It's no reflection on Bruce, but I would have loved to have Noel on board because there is no one with a better record over two miles.

"His ability to balance a horse up would have suited Empyreal perfectly.

"But I don't think that Noel will beat us anyway. Empyreal has just improved so much in the last month or so."

Empyreal, who finished third in the New Zealand Cup in November, hasn't run since an unlucky sixth in the Queen Elizabeth Handicap at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

McKenzie's stable star needed to finish in the first three that day to be guaranteed a run in the New Zealand Herald Auckland Cup.

But Empyreal got stuck as first cup ballot and McKenzie has been kicking himself ever since.

"I do blame myself really," he said. "He was probably too seasoned to run 2400m and the way the race was run, he was running on too late.

"But I know there is a stack of improvement in him. There was no point in having him too screwed down to perform at his best in the Queen Elizabeth when you're on your way to the cup just a week later."

Despite the costly miss at Ellerslie, McKenzie is taking a cup gamble again at Trentham with the TAB's $16 fixed odds pick yesterday.

Instead of hunting an automatic spot in the cup field by Empyreal placing in one of two feature qualifying events, McKenzie will instead run him in a softer PQ event over 2400m this Saturday.

McKenzie will have a better idea of where Empyreal is placed in the order of cup entry after weights and ratings are released today.

"There seem to be a few more falling away than at Ellerslie, but it does worry me that there could be six more horses who wouldn't normally be ahead of him qualify by running in the first three in the weight-for-age race and the cup trial."

Ironically, McKenzie has the complete opposite weight headache with his other cup runner, Bejayjay.

"It looks like he's going to be topweight with 57kg but I'm not sure how he gets rated so high when he's never really won anything other than on a wet track."

Sticking with Etoile Du Nord over Empyreal wasn't the easiest call ever made by Harris, who celebrated his 50th birthday on Friday with a winning treble at Awapuni.

While he has yet to ride Empyreal, Harris, who won the Wellington Cup three times on Castletown, has watched his rise through the ranks closely and was impressed by his third in the New Zealand Cup.

"Etoile Du Nord was a bit disappointing in the Queen Elizabeth but it was a run that Mark [Walker, trainer] and I put down to a dislike for going right-handed," said Harris.

"Empyreal is a nice horse and a real up-and-comer but Etoile Du Nord was impressive in the Marton Cup and won like the Wellington Cup would be no problem.

"She relaxed really well and I've got no doubts she'll handle the 3200m."

The TAB bookies agreed, trimming her into a clear $5 fixed odd favourite yesterday.

Harris is now in line for some major black type spoils over the Wellington carnival.

His other feature rides include Drovers Call in the Wakefield Challenge Stakes, Lynisky in the Wellington Stakes, Rapid Kay in the Telegraph Handicap and Arlingtonboulevard in the New Zealand Oaks.

"I'd have to be confident about Arlingtonboulevard," said Harris, who has an Oaks win on Staring and a stack of other placings.

"The 2400m won't be a problem, she's so relaxed."

If there is a negative to the carnival now for Harris it is that he won't get to ride alongside his son Troy until the carnival's last day.

The first season star apprentice copped a five-day suspension at Ellerslie on Saturday.

"It has been great having Troy out there riding as well," said Harris, who is now just 160 wins short of the magic 2000 club.

"He's given me that extra incentive to keep going."