Racing: Heavy weight on Cog Hill's shoulders

Cog Hill won't have to do a Grey Way to win the Easter Handicap, but he will have to do a Shivaree.

The two former outstanding headliners hold the weight-carrying records since metrics were introduced to racing in 1974.

Grey Way, winner of a remarkable 52 races, carried 60.5kg to victory in 1974, facing probably the strongest Easter field of all time and running the 1600m in 1.34.74.

At the end of his riding career Bob Skelton rated that victory one of the finest of his long career.

He said that with 100m to run he had given up any hope of winning because Grey Way was stuck behind a solid wall of horses.

"But he refused to give up, drove through to make a gap for himself and somehow propelled his big weight forward."

We won't see a performance like that on Saturday, but Cog Hill, with 58kg topweight, will have to lump the same weight as Shivaree coped with to win in 1981.

No one can argue that Cog Hill has earned his 58kg.

He stylishly won the country's richest metric mile, the $250,000 Coupland Bakeries at Riccarton in November, and has been competitive in every similar race all season.

All co-trainer Richard Collett wants is a good track.

"He'll get his opportunity to win if he gets a decent surface. I'm very pleased with his condition."

Collett liked Cog Hill's minor placing behind Vaalu in his final Easter lead-up at the recent Manawatu meeting. "Leith [Innes] said he got flat-footed when they sprinted at the top of the home straight and Vaalu got a break on the field.

"But Cog Hill was hitting the line strongly."

Cog Hill's best performances have been when there is plenty of speed on.

"A 1.36 mile will be no use to us. He went 1.33 when he won the Coupland and they'd gone hard up front most of the way.

"That suits him because they come back to him and he can get over the top of them."

Collett rates Rags to Riches as the main danger in what will be a very competitive betting race.