Racing: Jumping to a different tune

Here's one for the trainspotters: reel off the name of any other mare a week shy of her 11th birthday with a shot at winning a major steeplechase.

Co-trainer Sheryl McGlade certainly never had any before Crown Dancer's arrival as a serious threat in the Lion Red Inter-Island chase at Paeroa today.

But at an age when her contemporaries are popping out their third or fourth foal by now, an evergreen Crown Dancer is in no rush to join them.

She's won three of her last six attempts over the bigger fences - she had genuine excuses in two of her misses - and her camp is confident the stable spinster hasn't stopped winning yet.

"One or two people have said, 'Why don't you breed from her?', but we have a couple of others we're doing that with," said McGlade, now fully recovered from a recent viral infection.

"Roger [husband and training partner] and I are getting on a bit, and you have to wait five or six years to breed a jumper so while she's fit we'd rather keep racing her.

"We'll just play along and see how things go - she'll tell us when she's had enough."

The McGlades treat every cheque Crown Dancer brings home now as a bonus.

Three years ago it was a coin toss as to whether she'd ever race again after career-threatening wear and tear surfaced in both front tendons.

If it wasn't for advice from Anne Browne, who saddles four of Crown Dancer's rivals today, Sheryl McGlade doubts they would have persevered.

"We'd never done implants before but we were guided by Anne who's had a lot of success with the procedure," said McGlade.

"It was either do that or she was finished."

Crown Dancer proved a more than handy hurdler - her three wins included a career-high Auckland Cup day hurdle victory - and has been quick to adapt to the bigger fences.

While not in the same class as Bart - the stable's open chaser is due to make a comeback from injury next year - McGlade still rates her second-string star a serious win hope today.

The 4900 may be at the top of her range, but McGlade said the mare has improved since her impressive win over Stiched last time out at Te Awamutu. Stitched then went on to win the Wellington Steeplechase in his very next start.

And McGlade is also drawing confidence from the mare's winning record at Paeroa. Her two wins and two placings from seven starts there include an impressive victory in a 4000m intermediate chase over the mini-hill.

"It's just a shame Kara [Walters] can't ride her because she's out with injury again," said McGlade.

"She's a cantankerous old biddy and other riders haven't got on with her in the past, but Lance [Macfarlane] did a great job at Waipa and we're happy to have him on again."

Defending champ The Storytella, who beat Bart in a thriller last year, should be the toughest to beat again.

With Macfarlane unable to claim today, the Browne-trained The Storytella meets Crown Dancer almost 4kg better off in the weights.