Racing: Kaaptan roars home to just grab Diamond

Trevor McKee was trying to stay in the background following Kaaptan's stunning victory in the $200,000 (Group One) Diamond Stakes at Ellerslie yesterday.

McKee is one of the most respected and genuine trainers you will meet in New Zealand racing - always making time to exchange pleasantries with anybody on raceday - and now enjoying his "retirement" from training.

McKee, best known for his association with champion Sunline, describes himself as the "float driver" for the stable with his son Stephen the trainer of a powerful stable of athletes in South Auckland.

Kaaptan capitalised on a well-judged, on-the-speed ride from in-form apprentice Craig Grylls to outsprint the opposition in the home stretch and win by a neck over the pace-setting Seven Schillings. A further nose away third was Corsage.

Kaaptan has been one of those frustrating 2-year-olds to watch this season, settling well off the pace and roaring home at the finish of his races.

With four placings from six starts before yesterday's victory, there was every reason to question whether the son of Kaapstad would handle the dead track conditions.

Kaaptan settled perfectly behind the front-running Seven Schillings and pounced quickly in the home stretch but had to fight hard to overhaul the gallant leader.

Trevor McKee was a jubilant owner and proud father reflecting on what has been a stellar season for the stable.

McKee paid $62,500 for Kaaptan from New Zealand Bloodstock's Karaka Yearling Sales and has won nearly $140,000 in stake earnings this season.

Yesterday's victory was the third Group One win for the McKee stable this season, adding to the Telegraph Handicap and Waikato Draught Sprint won by Mufhasa.

"We'll see how he pulls up after winning here at Ellerslie but I'd like to think we can take him to Palmerston North in three weeks' time for the Sires Produce Stakes," said Stephen McKee. "He's a lovely low-striding horse who I think is better when the track conditions are a bit firmer and he can stretch out over the track.

"He had a good draw in this race and I wanted him racing a bit handier and that's why we ended up close to the speed. He really knuckled down to it in the straight and gathered in the leader," said McKee.

SIR SLICK has been regarded as the Ironhorse of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing over the past 12 months with a ruthless never-say-die attitude.

Even the mighty Sir Slick had to bow to a tougher rival yesterday when waging a brutal home-stretch fight with MacO'Reilly to decide the winner of the $200,000 (Group One) New Zealand Stakes.

Sir Slick is the ultimate front-running warrior and it takes an exceptional athlete to sit outside and defeat him and that's exactly what MacO'Reilly did grabbing a neck victory. A further head away in third was O'Reilly Rose.

With back-to-back, Group One, weight-for-age victories, MacO'Reilly has a massive future as a broodmare, and a well-balanced career record on any type of track conditions.