By MIKE DILLON
Neville Atkins describes Keen as a mongrel and doesn't care who hears.
The $2000 purchase who won yesterday's $75,000 International Airport Steeplechase at Ellerslie is "not a happy customer."
But to his 20-odd owners, Keen was the nicest horse yesterday.
Particularly Ray Morley, who picked up Keen when the former Dave and Paul O'Sullivan-trained gelding was struggling around the smalls in the South Island three years ago.
Atkins worked out that to win, Keen simply had to be the fittest horse in the field and he sent him around and around on the flat in the weeks leading up to yesterday.
"I really piled it into him and when he was just beaten on the flat here a month ago the stable staff took a lot of money off the tote, when he paid $20 for a place.
"I even ran him here on Boxing Day to take the edge off him."
Atkins has had some good jumpers through the last couple of decades.
However, he does not rate Keen an ideal proposition for the big one, the Great Northern Steeplechase in June.
He also does not think Melbourne would suit Keen, nor is he good enough to take on the mega-rich Nakayama Grand Jump in Tokyo on April 14.
Racing: Mongrel and cheap but super Keen
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