KEY POINTS:
When Paddy Busuttin looks at tomorrow's $150,000 DHL Counties Cup he thinks back a couple of decades.
Back to Castletown's first of three Wellington Cups.
Not so much what turned out to be an historic victory, but the weight the great old stayer carried.
"When Castletown won his first Wellington Cup he carried 55.5kg.
"He'd won the Derby and quite a few good races.
"Then I look at Six O'Clock News in a group two race in his first start in open company and he's got 54kg."
Busuttin is not complaining about the handicapping, simply that the lack of depth of New Zealand stayers compared to Castletown's time.
It means a young, improving horse can get to the top of the handicap too soon and Busuttin knows he has to be very careful how he places him from this point.
The fact that a horse who has not previously raced in an open handicap can be allotted 3kg more than the minimum weight in a group two race says all you need to know about the current lack of staying talent.
"I'll run him here then I'll miss the Avondale Cup and look at the Waikato Cup," said Busuttin yesterday.
"If he was to win the Counties, Avondale and Waikato Cups imagine what weight he'd be getting from that point."
The spring of a still-improving 4-year-old stayer is a vulnerable time for a horse and crushing weights could damage Six O'Clock News' career.
"He comes into this grade as only 4kg below the topweight."
Despite showing any amount of promise, Six O'Clock News has taken time to strengthen and develop as a stayer and his two recent wins show he has come a long way down that path.
This is a major step up, but he will be assisted by the long Pukekohe straight.
He looks to be a horse that needs time to balance and find his acceleration and Pukekohe allows him that opportunity more than, say, Ellerslie would.
"His work has been good this week and he's ready for this race," said Busuttin.
Shariat's On Fire has been the beaten favourite in his last two starts, but he's better than that.
Co-trainer Paul Moroney says the stable is expecting something better this time.
"The way we've been training him is to avoid a couple of issues he's had in the past and perhaps it's left him a little short on absolute fitness in the last couple.
"This is his third time over a middle distance this preparation and his work this week has been improved.
"The problem, of course, is his extremely wide barrier draw.
"It means we're going to have to drop him back and ride for luck."
But if you're going to ride for luck, Pukekohe is your track.
Wide open spaces and a long, tough run home allow for horses finishing over the top of the leaders.
"One thing you've noticed is that in Counties Cups run at Pukekohe, the field often fans across the track halfway down the home straight and gaps can tend to open and allow the back runners an opportunity.
"We won't be taking off and going around them, because he's shown a tendency to lay out," said Moroney.
Ginga Dude is the interesting runner.
The hugely talented 5-year-old hasn't run since getting up in the last stride to win at Tauranga on October 18 and comes into a 2100m test with 57kg on his back.
The difficulty of that has not been missed on part owner and trainer Graeme Boyd.
"I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said I wasn't a little bit worried about the five weeks between races," says Boyd. "There have been a couple of races I could have run him in, but I've got to do everything I can to protect his weight going into these cups races.
"I gave him a solo exhibition gallop between races at Te Awamutu the other day and they tell me he ran the last 600m in 34.2 without being asked.'
Topweight Gallions Reach comes off a fighting win at weight-for-age at Ellerslie. The Auckland Cup placegetter is racing better than at any previous stage of his career.
CUP TEST
* Six O'Clock News has his first start in open company and comes in with 3kg above the minimum.
* Co-trainer Paddy Busuttin says he has to do everything he can to protect the horse's weight as he goes through the spring and early summer cups races.
* Shariat's On Fire is ready to improve on his last two beaten performances.
* Ginga Dude has not raced for five weeks, but trainer Graeme Boyd is happy with the horse.
