Racing: Jockey's 4kg claim will help Bulginbaah

Bulginbaah is having his first race for more than two months at Awapuni today. Photo / APN

Wanganui apprentice jockey Mereana Hudson has done the hard yards on hardy winter sprinter-miler Bulginbaah.

Now she's about to get a taste of the real thing.

Young mum Hudson has been working the much-loved Wanganui 10-year-old ahead of one final campaign.

Trainer Catherine Wilson has decided the hard work deserves a payoff - a first ride for Hudson on the gelding at Awapuni today.

Her 4kg claim will go a long way to ensuring Bulginbaah is competitive against a decent lot in his first race for more than two months. He was down to carry 60.5kg, giving away 2.5kg to his nearest rival.

Wilson is worried about the heavy (11) track - "he doesn't handle them as well as he used to" - but she knows time is not on her side as she tries to get the old boy ready for a shot at a fourth Foxbridge Plate win at Te Rapa next month.

Before that, the Opunake Cup, on July 23, is on the drawing board for the winner of $700,000.

While Wilson realises the finishing line for Cecil - Bulginbaah's stable name - is in sight, she's not ready to discuss retirement just yet.

"A bloke rang me from Australia the other day and urged me not to retire him. He said there were horses 11 and 12 winning sprints over there."

And Bulginbaah still has his fan club. Wilson often gets stopped on the street and asked how the horse was doing, when he was likely to run again.

They'll know more at 2pm today.

* Hastings trainer Corrina McDougal was going to be a teacher, but she's having more fun with "ratbags" of a four-legged kind.

"I enrolled at Teachers' Training College in Palmerston North, but ended up at Mark Oulaghan's stable learning about horses," she said.

"Six months at training college was enough for me."

Her favourite ratbag now is Our Destiny, who looks a likely sort in the Henderson Woodbridge Handicap today, feature race of the Marton meeting.

He has not raced since an impressive win at Ellerslie on June 8 when he missed the start and seemed to be in reverse in the testing footing 800m out. But he responded superbly to the young rider's urgings over the final part to win going away.

"I have to admit I was wondering what was going on that day but was thrilled at the way he finished off," said McDougal, who got her christian name from a song her dad played often.

Safely through today, Our Destiny could line up in the Parliamentary at Trentham next month.

Our Destiny, by French sire Le Destin, has also had a change of heart about which surface he likes best.

"Early in his career, he only seemed to like good going but now he's at home in the mud," says McDougal.

That is likely to come as bad news for his rivals, the toughest of whom should be Casual, Monkey Briscoe and Man'O Mann.

Michael Coleman is Our Destiny's jockey.