Racing: Healthy bonus heats up competition

Saddling at least three winners at Matamata today is shaping as a David v Goliath battle.

In one corner, the red-hot Mark Walker team with 13 runners - five of those in the 2-year-old race - and a tight Te Akau grip already on the record $19,000 trainer's bonus.

In the other are a raft of smaller stables chasing their richest payday of the season, with little or no margin for error.

With just four runners - Multi Tasker, The Cut, Captain Kurt and Total Control - Wayne and Vanessa Hillis fall into the latter camp.

But that hasn't stopped the husband-and-wife team putting their staff on standby for a huge party.

They have been close to popping the bonus champagne this season.

Just last spring they saddled three runners on a TRAC prize day, winning with the first two, Dezigna and Kainui Belle, before Melanie finished an unlucky second in the decider.

Dezigna's half-sister Multi Tasker has the job of kicking off the Hillis's bonus charge today when she debuts in the second event, a maiden 1200m.

The stable has taken a patient approach with the slow-maturing 4-year-old.

But a second at the Cambridge trials over 1000m last month underscored why the Hillis's are confident she can quit maidens at her first try.

"She missed the kick by two lengths that day and if she had got any kind of start, would have scored easily. She'll appreciate the extra 200m and will have improved with the trials' experience," said Vanessa Hillis.

The Cut won a 1200m trial the same day as Multi Tasker ran second, and will also relish a longer raceday trip in the fourth, a maiden 1600m. The Cut hasn't raced since a January fifth as favourite over 1400m at Rotorua, a track that was never going to suit the long strider.

But Hillis has been impressed with the way the 4-year-old has furnished in the break and feels he should click with new rider Noel Harris.

"He'll get back and hopefully come home over the top of them," said Hillis.

"We think he's got quite a big future as a stayer.

"If all goes to plan, it will be left to juvenile debutant Captain Kurt to net the Hillis's the equivalent of a winning trainer's cut from a $300,000 feature.

For weeks now the Hillis's have been nominating and scratching the exciting Volksraad gelding.

Twice they've been thwarted by wide draws, and then a bump in his box bruised a leg and canned a hit-and-run raid to Trentham.

"We're running out of options with him now," said Hillis. "We just hope we don't get any rain at Matamata - we think he's pretty smart."

Hillis would prefer to have the $19,000 bonus in the wallet before Total Control debuted over 2000m later in the day.

But she has faith that the Volksraad 3-year-old's future does lie over more ground than he's tried up until now.

Whether the slow-maturer is ready to live up to that reputation today, however, she's not so sure.

"I know he's capable of doing it though, and on paper it doesn't look like an overly strong field."