By MIKE DILLON
It's jumping season so why not have a jumper as the bet of the day.
Smart Hunter really looks the goods for today's $50,000 TV Guide Hurdles at Ellerslie.
Ken Browne gets enthusiastic, but rarely confident. You could detect a bit of enthusiasm seeping through when you talked to him yesterday.
Let's be honest, while Monday's big steeples has plenty of talent, this is not a great field for our biggest hurdle race.
Smart Hunter should have won the Dunstan Waikato Hurdles and he's primed for the biggest test of his career.
"Very happy," said Ken Browne when asked what he thought of the heavy showers in Auckland yesterday and the prospect of more solid rain overnight.
"I've got 12 horses in tomorrow and more on Monday and with that many you always have the odd little niggling problem, but overall I don't think I've ever been happier with the condition of a big team going into a major raceday."
The plus factors for Smart Hunter are (1) he is a natural stayer (2) the loose, wet footing is perfect for him (3) being one of the Browne team he will be superbly conditioned for what will be a slog from the 400m.
One of the most interesting runners all day is Zaitan (No2, R3), to be ridden by 18-year-old Takanini apprentice Dana Carmont, who has had only one previous raceday ride. The 4.5kg claim will be cruical in the testing conditions and so will the fact the footing will be loose.
"That Te Rapa track last start was too holding and sticky for him," said trainer Trevor McKee.
Jaiapeno (No1) is talented and fit and can handle bad ground.
Call Me Zeus (No1, R8) has a tough job under 57kg in his first start at 1600m, but he has a fair bit of class and seems to be able to handle very wet tracks. You can make a case for and against some of the other form runners and it might pay to stick with class. For quinellas, Okiwi Bay (No6) and Garaina (No5) make a fair bit of appeal.
There are a few in Race 9 who have been waiting for a real winter track and that's what they've got today. Mr McGerkle (No4, R9) and Patronage (No13) are two of them and Indian Chant (No2) has given the impression he;s on the verge f his best again. I'm going for Indian Chant each way. The 54.5kg is his best weight for a while and he should just love the loose, wet conditions.
There will be no fancy odds, but Currency (No2, R1) should get punters off on the right foot. He's been only once beaten in five starts over jumps. Wanderlust (No4) will appreciate the wetter conditions.
The babies race might be a trap in the footing. It will probably take away the brilliance of last week's Champagne Stakes winner Playful Fingers, if in fact she runs, but might suit Serevi (No3), who looked a rugged type winning on debut at Avondale.
The $A200,000 O'Shea Stakes at Eagle Farm tomorrow might come down to the Kiwi pair of Cronus and Bluebird The Word. Both have claims.
You couldn't count the number of times Vinny Colgan had to sprint Cronus in the early stages of last week's Doomben Cup to try to get in from being left three wide outside the pace. The race was half over when he finally lobbed one place off the rail and it was no surprise he weakened.
While he probably prefers space between races, this is a race he can take if last week has not taken too much of the edge off him.
Bluebird The Word is heading to the Brisbane Cup next weekend, but is also capable of winning. His effort in the Metropolitan Handicap in Brisbane last start suggested he just might be improved.
Racing: Jumps maestro enthuses over his Smart Hunter
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