Racing: Jumping turns Cut The Cake's form on its head

Here's a scenario that's never been heard of before.

Getting narrowly beaten in a Mitchelson Cup at Ellerslie, running in a maiden hurdle race at Paeroa eight days later then aiming at the New Zealand Cup.

That's the plan for 2003 Mercedes Derby winner Cut The Cake, who makes his jumping debut in the Morgan Furniture Maiden Hurdle at Paeroa tomorrow.

Although the Mike Moroney/Dean Melton stable sees this race as essentially part of the stayer's training, it sees a future for the horse in jumps.

"He's a natural," says stable manager Paul Moroney.

"One of our stable staff, Gene Andrew, is a former jumps rider and he says from the first time he took Cut The Cake out to school, the horse absolutely loved it."

Jumping appears to have turned Cut The Cake's form around. He has won only a moderate race at Avondale in the nearly three years since his Derby victory, but his fighting second to Garden Party in last week's Mitchelson Cup was something like a return to his best.

"He's a different horse mentally. Michael [Coleman] said he really flattened his ears out last week and had a go before his condition blew out slightly.

"He can have this, a 2400m flat race at Trentham, then it's into the New Zealand Cup.

"We can bring him back jumping in the autumn, look at the Waikato Hurdles then possibly a race like the Hiskens Steeples in Melbourne during the winter."

Jonathan Riddell rides Cut The Cake on jumping's expansive day.

Talented mare Crown Dancer heads the field for the main race, the Maramarua Hunt Cup, an event which came close to being canned through lack of entries.

Crown Dancer goes into the race with two misses beside her name, but co-trainer Sheryl McGlade says the mare is back to her best.

"It goes back to when she nearly fell at Matamata. We had Royce Dowling look her over and he felt she'd pulled muscles in her front. Kara [Waters] believes the mare is right back to it in her work.

"It's a shame that the numbers are down, but the attrition rate after all those horses raced on the very firm track at Rotorua was fierce."

Lance Macfarlane rides Crown Dancer.

Willandra Prince, who was narrowly beaten at Ellerslie two starts back, is also a strong chance.