Racing: Mountain Road cruises to Cup

Cambridge trainers Murray and Bjorn Baker showed their class when producing Mountain Road in faultless condition to score an easy victory in the $80,000 Taumarunui Cup at Te Rapa yesterday.

Mountain Road was denied a valuable lead-up race when last Saturday's race meeting at Avondale was abandoned but this did not prevent the father-and-son training partnership getting the required conditioning work into the 4-year-old.

Glamour jockey Sam Spratt booted home the impressive gelding to score by 1 lengths over Kiri with a long neck to Strapped For Cash (third).

Mountain Road has compiled a useful record at Te Rapa - two wins and three minor placings - from seven starts. His record left-handed makes impressive reading, six wins and six minor placings from 16 starts.

The 2008-2009 season has been an outstanding 12 months for the Cambridge trainers who have scored 73 wins and $2.3 million in stake earnings spearheaded by outstanding 2-year-old The Heckler.

MARK DOWN Tudor Bubble as a race mare worth following next season underlined by her outstanding victory at Te Rapa.

The 4-year-old unleashed a powerful home stretch sprint in the hands of Darryl Bradley to win by 4 lengths over Save The Day with a further nose back to Pactus who came home third.

Cambridge trainer Clark Judd will have little difficulty placing the mare who has scored three wins and five minor placings from 12 starts.

VETERAN SPRINTER Point Guard showed plenty of speed when it mattered scoring a gritty one length victory over My Lips Ar Sealed and Taking The Mickey in the Open Handicap.

Point Guard has had plenty of racing - 69 starts - and has been a genuine performer on all types of track scoring nine wins and 19 minor placings.

ANDREW SCOTT signed off the season in grand style winning four races including the feature $50,000 Ryder Stakes (listed) at Otaki with Lamington Vegas.

Scott, an accomplished trainer with a proven record developing age group talent, had Lamington Vegas well forward in condition to score an effortless 2 length victory over Oakwood with a further 1 lengths back to Comme Tu Veux (third).

Scott also won at Otaki with Mrs Gordon and San Delago and also won the final event at Te Rapa with He's Glovin It.

Karen Zimmerman was another trainer in commanding form at Otaki scoring a hat-trick of wins with The Razza, Dubhdara and Keep Ahead.