Racing: Lucky colours help Pentane to glory

Dave O'Sullivan knew the colours Pentane carried to victory at Ellerslie yesterday would get the horse home.

They were the special colours O'Sullivan used on the last two horses he ended his champion career as a trainer with in 1998 and both won.

Wife Marie, mother of Pentane's trainer Lance O'Sullivan, pulled the colours out of a cupboard yesterday morning and ironed them.

When winning rider Michael Walker took the colours off in the jockeys' room after the official presentation, they revealed the hand-writing "Dave, 1998".

It's not the only help Pentane had. Lance O'Sullivan's wife Bridgette, Ellerslie's official ambassador, said she never barracked for her husband's horses.

"I never pray for winners, but halfway down the home straight I said: 'God, if there's any help to give, please now!'

"I know how much Lance has put into this and what it means to him."

Dave O'Sullivan won the Auckland Cup as a trainer with Blue Denim in 1980 and Miltak in 1994. He said he got more wound up watching Pentane win.

"I used to have Lance to settle me down - I haven't got that now."

This was perhaps Michael Walker's finest moment in racing, but he was strangely subdued - his partner Candace Smith had been in labour for 48 hours after being induced on Monday.

"She's 11 days overdue. They sent her home and I'm rushing there after the races."

Walker is booked to fly to Melbourne this morning to ride Darci Brahma in the A$1 million Cadbury Australian Guineas on Saturday.

"I'll probably switch that flight to Friday the way things are."

Each jockey at Ellerslie has been asked to provide their special bit of music to be played as they bring a winner back.

Walker's Slice Of Heaven by Dave Dobbin summed up the moment.

Owner Peter Frahar exemplifies the faith that some people have in horses can lead to success - you just have to hang in there long enough.

"I fell in love with the stock of stallion Serenader when Serendipper won the Air New Zealand Stakes here at Ellerslie [late 1970s]," said the managing director of Abilities, a non-profit organisation which employs the handicapped.

"I borrowed a mare, bred an entire from it [Prince Raider] and it became the dam sire of Pentane."

While some of the Cup runners had dams by Zabeel, Pentane had a bargain-basement female line.

Michael Frahar's brother and ownership partner Mike is a South Island director of chemical company Chemiplas.

The brothers had a horse or two when Paul O'Sullivan trained at Wexford before leaving for Hong Kong.

Lance O'Sullivan, in only his second season of training, did not flinch when the first Tuesday in November was mentioned - the Melbourne Cup is the obvious target for a horse who finished off yesterday's race so powerfully.

If he is thinking Flemington then O'Sullivan's overriding instinct will be to protect Pentane's handicap from this point.

Pentane is remarkably strong for a horse that could not be described as tall, but weight on a horse's back is the crucial factor in Melbourne Cups.

* Turnover on yesterday's cup was ahead of the last time the cup was held on New Year's Day 2005.

"That's hugely significant because it shows the market has got behind the switch in dates," said ARC chairman Lyn Stevens.