KEY POINTS:
Senior trainer Richard Collett and owner Wig Wilson are still more than half a million dollars behind with Kingsinga, but they intend making a valiant attempt to catch up.
Early last year the pair had Saturday's $70,000 Marton Cup winner sold to Hong Kong for more than $800,000
subject to a veterinary inspection.
That inspection revealed a tiny bone fragment floating in a fetlock and the sale was cancelled.
Wilson and Collett will not be far behind if Kingsinga wins the $700,000 Skycity Auckland Cup in March, which has got Collett, and many others, suddenly with a new appreciation about the money that can be won in New Zealand with a top horse.
"You know, I was looking through the Queensland programme for their winter carnival and that revamped Brisbane Cup [now reduced to 2400m] is A$300,000 - that's the same as the Wellington Cup."
Trainers and owners are excited about developments such as the 12 maiden and Rating 76 races at the Ellerslie March meeting worth $35,000, and the fact the Auckland Cup and Mercedes Derby are both at $700,000.
"Suddenly, by placing a decent horse correctly, it's possible to win $100,000 before they reach open company. Cog Hill and now Superalloy either won $100,000 or close to it before open company."
The stakemoney realisation comes at the perfect time for New Zealand Bloodstock's Karaka yearling sale.
Kingsinga has always shown plenty of talent and Collett says it was only recently that he thought of him as an Auckland Cup horse, not in terms of previously doubting his ability, but more the distance.
"But he relaxes perfectly. You hang your heart and hope he gets the trip.
"I haven't yet had a long conversation with [jockey] Leith [Innes] about yesterday's win, but he did say he relaxed for him magnificently."
Kingsinga looked like a 3200m horse when he drove at the leaders from the 320m. He found the front and in the final 100m was not going to yield, even though the winning margin was narrow.
Luckshan showed once again he is a much improved horse by coming with the winner from the 250m in an effort that will get him a win shortly.
Earlier in the programme his trainer Dean Phillips produced Shan Dynasty to win a maiden stylishly and he looks another worth following.
Collett did not travel to Awapuni to saddle Kingsinga, he stayed home to watch his class juvenile Crossyourheart remain unbeaten in three starts.
The filly was having what the stable decreed was a must-have lead-up to the $500,000 NZ Bloodstock Classique at Te Rapa in three weeks.
"She was pretty short on conditioning for this, but she had too much class, particularly with Tasha's 4kg claim."
Collett said there was no chance Crossyourheart would be spelled after the Classique. "Judy and I had a smart 2-year-old filly a couple of seasons back. We looked after her and spelled her and she never came back.
"We've had a change of policy since then - 2-year-olds are 2-year-olds."
Crossyourheart trailed the speed to the home turn at Ellerslie on Saturday and raced away to win untested.
Runner-up Pierre Joseph indicated potential.