As tomorrow is the final day of the Wellington Cup carnival, MIKE DILLON speaks to trainers of leading chances.
Set a horse for the Melbourne-Auckland-Wellington cups treble and seasoned horsemen wouldn't talk to you.
Alan Jones sees that as his biggest asset taking Auckland Cup winner Our Unicorn into tomorrow's $270,000 Lion Brown Wellington Cup.
But only in a roundabout way.
Simply because Our Unicorn had only the one race between the three 3200m features, the 2400m Waikato Gold Cup.
"Some of these horses have been racing around the big features all summer," said Jones yesterday.
The impossible treble has not hampered Our Unicorn because not only has he not jammed a whole bunch of other races in, he has not had one gallop since the Melbourne Cup outside the fabulous one that won him the Auckland Cup and his attractive Waikato Cup effort.
The mentally jaded stayer took the Ellerslie feature on a diet of working up Kenny Browne's famous Cambridge hill and Jones has not been tempted to change the game plan for Trentham.
"I've kept his programme exactly the same and it gives you an advantage. Going up a hill like that does the work, but they're not pounding the hell out of their legs doing it. They don't get leg weary like they do racing."
Jones will admit to another factor in Our Unicorn's remarkable form turnaround - luck.
"Things have gone well for him and when that happens in racing the results follow.
"Not one thing has gone wrong with this horse since he arrived from Melbourne and that's unusual for a horse racing in this class."
Jones felt the opposite would be the case when he saw Our Unicorn arrive off the float.
The horse next to him on the flight had worked loose and savaged him on the neck.
"He'd pulled the sides off both of his front feet and when that happens they almost always stand on their feet and continue to pull the plates off and more of the foot.
"He had it on both front feet and, remarkably, he has not once stood on either foot. When you get that sort of thing rolling your way you win races.
"When I first saw him I felt there was no hope he'd even get to the races here."
Jones takes a conservative approach and says Our Unicorn is at least no worse in condition than when he won the Auckland cup.
"He's very fit and bright. I can't say he's better, but he's certainly no worse."
Jones is not complaining about the 57kg Our Unicorn has to carry - 1kg up from Ellerslie - but feels a couple of those towards the bottom of the handicap are in a bit light.
"Since weights were declared for the Auckland Cup, Ebony Honor has been just beaten in the Avondale Cup, Queen Elizabeth and Auckland Cup and he's still only got 51.5kg.
"I know you can argue that a lot of different ways, but he's in well."
Co-trainer Trevor McKee feels with a touch of the luck that has gone Our Unicorn's way, Ebony Honor could have won all three of those races.
"He was beaten two noses in the Avondale Cup and was not suited by the easy track in both starts at Ellerslie."
Our Unicorn looped the field from last to win at Ellerslie, difficult to do at Trentham, but Alan Jones does not believe the horse needs to be that far off the speed.
"The irony is I was critical of the watering of the track at Ellerslie for the carnival, but it probably helped Our Unicorn in the Auckland Cup because the way the track was made it easier to swoop round the field."
The TAB's fixed odds last night:
$5 Smiling Like; $6 Our Unicorn; $8 Kaapeon, Ebony Honor; $9 Armstrong; $12 Uncle, Paddy Malone, Soldier Blue, Starina; $18 Reign Supreme; $25 No Alimony; $30 Greene Street; $35 Mary Josephine, She's Country; $50 The Rock; $100 Redeemer
Racing: Luck big factor in turnaround
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