By MIKE DILLON
Martin Cleland swears he won't change his mind about retiring Sir James even if he wins tomorrow's $25,000 Westbury Stud Foxbridge Plate by 10 lengths.
Start number 91 and the lack of suitable upcoming race spells enough for the old bloke who would make you move house if he was your neighbour.
No one has ever accused Sir James of having a sunny nature.
For most of the 90 races so far he has worn a muzzle on raceday to prevent him from biting wellwishers.
"He hasn't actually bitten anyone, but he's given a few a fright," said Cleland.
But then for a couple of decent nights out on the town short of a quarter of a million dollars, Cleland forgives his 12-year-old veteran.
Don't rule out the possibility of the old fella going out in winning vein.
He produced a pretty impressive finish into fourth, only one length away, being Vyner's Lane at Ellerslie last week and will be better suited by stepping up to 1400m this time.
"He's much better at 1400m than 1200m and if we happened to get rain on the day it would suit him much better than the Ellerslie footing.
"I know he's an old bloke now, but he feels pretty well at the moment and he likes Te Rapa."
A further plus factor for Sir James is the weight-for-age scale. Although his recent weights have been moderate, he has traditionally carried big handicaps.
Racing: Last race for feisty veteran Sir James
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