KEY POINTS:
Waikato trainer Colin Fache is hopeful track conditions will help Kenadaad in the 1400m Opunake Cup at New Plymouth today.
The $100,000 feature at the Opunake Racing Club's meeting has attracted a top winter line-up and Fache wonders if some opposition could prove a touch sharp for Kenadaad over the distance.
"The only thing that worries me is the 1400m. I think he's a better 1600m horse," Fache said yesterday.
The track will be heavy today and Fache said that could make the race a sterner test. "With the track being wet it is going to be like 1600m anyway."
Kenadaad's best form has been on dead and slow tracks, with a total of eight wins in such ground, but Fache was confident heavy ground would not be a problem either.
The 5-year-old gelding's only start on heavy footing came at his last start in the $50,000 Te Awamutu Cup (1600m) on July 7. In that race he did everything but win after being handy in the running and going down by a nose to Bellevue Lass.
Fache took over Kenadaad only in January but has fashioned an excellent record of 10 starts for four wins and a second with the horse.
Three of the wins were in succession and culminated in the $60,000 weight-for-age Wanganui Stakes (1600m) on June 2.
That day he beat top winter gallopers Bulginbaah and Balmuse into second and third, while fourth was Baltaine, who is again a rival today.
Kenadaad meets Baltaine on the same weights today. They both had topweights of 59kg at Wanganui and today they share topweight of 58kg with Don't Ya Lovett.
The latter firmed notably in favour on the NZ TAB's fixed-odds market yesterday at $4.40.
TAB bookmaker Paul Lally said Don't Ya Lovett and El Perez, who has shortened from $8 to $5.50, were attracting most attention. "There are just two horses being punted - Don't Ya Lovett and El Perez."
- NZPA
