By MIKE DILLON
His stable name is Atom and he's so small no one wanted him as a yearling.
Make that no one except Roger James.
And Hades, the pocket battleship, returned the favour by winning the $350,000 Sleepyhead New Zealand Derby - James' third victory in the country's premier classic in five years.
You can't say $32,500 is stealing a horse, but for a son of Zabeel it's like getting a Mercedes-Benz for the price of a Big Mac.
James agonised over buying Hades at the Karaka sales.
"He was always on my priority list, but it kept coming back to his size," he said.
"Then I kept getting outbid on horses who were sweet types, and I thought, Kiwi trainers tend to buy horses who need to be sold afterwards and my commission is not for a horse to sell, so why not buy him?
"Why buy horses by unproven sires for more money than a Zabeel?"
James was never worried about Hades' small frame going into the race: "I knew it was not going to be a factor.
"He thinks he's 10-foot tall and bulletproof, that's all that matters."
But James admits that probably out of curiosity, he took time out on Christmas Day, for the first time, to put the official measuring stick on the 3-year-old.
It came up as 15.2 hands, although to stand alongside Hades he looks smaller.
Yesterday was the realisation of a lifetime dream for Wellingtonian owner Ron Dixon.
James has four times purchased horses to try to win a Derby for Dixon.
"We got close when Tethys won the Derby Trial, but he didn't make it to the Derby. He later won the Avondale Cup and Cronus won the Adelaide Derby," said an excited Dixon.
"To win a Derby on your home turf is just something special. It's way ahead of anything else."
Dixon nearly didn't make it. His mother is gravely ill in Wellington and only at the last minute yesterday did Dixon agreed to fly to Auckland. His wife and ownership partner, Fran, stayed behind.
It was a masterly training performance by James to win New Zealand's toughest classic with a horse with a bare three races behind him.
"I was never worried. I knew he was ready," he said.
James did not admit it, but his rider, 24-year-old Vinny Colgan, gave him up later.
"The first thing Roger said to me when I walked on the course this morning was: `Gee, Vinny, I think this horse will win.'
"Roger was very confident."
The raging favourite, Buzz Lightyear, looked a huge chance to win when he seemed to be travelling well as he took the front off Sun God at the 800m.
Buzz Lightyear was still travelling well in front at the 375m, but gave in suddenly, stopping to finish 10th.
Hill Of Grace, owned like Buzz Lightyear by Terry Jarvis, chased hard after Hades in the final stages and although she got to within a long neck, she at no stage looked likely to pick the winner up.
Racing: Little Atom repays James' faith in a big way
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