Racing: Innes mount should Command respect in chase for Cup glory

Mac Five (left) and Command 'N Conquer at Breakfast With The Stars yesterday. Picture / Martin Sykes

For a moment yesterday Leith Innes cast aside his thoughts of Derby success.

Central to the Matamata jockey's thinking is his ride on the favourite Wahid in Saturday's $600,000 Mercedes Derby at Ellerslie.

On the same track yesterday he tried out two of his other feature rides over the three-day Auckland Racing Club carnival, Command 'N Conquer and Bridie Belle at the Breakfast With The Stars gallop session.

Innes will ride former Melbourne-based Command 'N Conquer in the $600,000 SkyCity Auckland Cup next Wednesday and declared the big stayer the forgotten horse in the race after a stylish workout.

Command 'N Conquer went 1800m with Mac Five, running the 1600m on a dead surface in 1.42.48, the 800m in 49.44 and 600 in 37.5.

The running rail was out at least 18m from the true position, so times were correspondingly slow. The best guide was relativity.

"He's been forgotten this horse," said Innes as he dismounted. "He really quickened up when I asked him for something this morning."

Command 'N Conquer won the Ballarat Cup in December from the Melbourne arm of the Chris and Colleen Wood stable and before that finished a close fourth to On A Jeune in the Geelong Cup.

That Geelong effort catapulted On A Jeune into the Melbourne Cup, where he ran the race of his life to storm home and finish second to Makybe Diva.

The Woods have that carefully in mind as they head into next week's feature.

"The form around this horse is strong.

"How many in the Auckland Cup field would have figured in a Melbourne Cup," said Chris Wood.

"On A Jeune did and it looks pretty good on paper."

Command 'N Conquer has been brought back from Melbourne specifically for the Auckland Cup and finished a nice fourth, 2.4 lengths from the winner Tadan over a too-short 1600m at Ellerslie on February 18.

He is a very strong type who appears surprisingly nimble for a big horse.

Someone thinks he's a real Cup chance - his odds have tumbled in to $14 with the TAB with scant publicity.

Mac Five, with Gary Grylls aboard, worked nicely inside Command 'N Conquer, backing up her form around the likes of Cup favourite Pentane and Willy Smith at the Ellerslie and Trentham carnivals.

With a few dropouts in the last week, she has come tantalisingly close to gaining a start in the Auckland Cup, but will still probably need to win Saturday's Nathans Memorial to guarantee slipping into the field.

Bridie Belle, who will run in the Westbury Classic on Cup Day, relished the dead footing in clocking the best time of the morning, 1.20.48 for the 1200m, 48.24 for the 800 and 36.90 for 600.

She worked with stablemate Loanhead, a dashing maiden debut winner for trainer Katrina Alexander who has been sold to Melbourne clients of the Woods stable.

Loanhead worked very well for a 1-win horse. He is a possible runner on the final day of the carnival and may then be sent to Melbourne.

SkyCity Cup hopeful Anne Carina was impressive working six or seven lengths clear of her 3-year-old stablemate Saint Cross after 1800m, the final 800 in 49.77 and 600 in 37.8. Gary Grylls at no stage asked Anne Carina for anything like top gear.

"The footing suited her," said co-trainer Debbie Sweeney.

Saint Cross is a big Zabeel Lacework 3-year-old who won over 2200m at the last twilight meeting at Ellerslie, but who will not have enough stakemoney to get him into the Derby.

"It's a shame because he needs 2400m right now and there aren't races over the distance for him. We'll probably look to take him to the Queensland winter carnival."