Racing: New chum fronting star chaser

Really think about Comand Performance as he walks into the start for this afternoon's $50,000 Northern Steeplechase at Ellerslie.

As you weigh him up, realise that until 50 hours and 20 minutes earlier he hadn't lined up in a steeplechase on raceday and here he is taking on Bart, the horse most are tipping to be the country's star 'chaser by winter's end.

Not only that, Comand Performance's trainer John Wheeler is tipping him to win.

He also tipped him to win in lesser company on Saturday when he lived up to his name by making a stunning steeplechasing debut to score going way at $11.90.

Earlier in the week, Wheeler called Auckland Racing Club racing manager Butch Castles to nominate Comand Performance for the two-day meeting, when home for two days from Queensland where he is campaigning a team at the winter carnival.

Castles queried a maiden 'chaser being nominated for this afternoon's open-class race.

"Don't worry," said Wheeler, "he'll win on Saturday and he'll line up again on Monday."

The surprise is that Wheeler has not kept Comand Performance for one of his jumping raids on the rich Australian carnivals

"It's not because I think he's not good enough - I rate him right up there with my best jumpers - but he's best on really wet tracks and Australia just doesn't get heavy enough for him."

Wheeler said the only reason Comand Performance has not been seen over the bigger fences - he's won two of his 10 hurdling starts - is that there had not been attractive stakemoney around for the horse until this weekend.

"I wasn't prepared to race him for peanuts."

If Comand Performance can beat today's field two days after debuting as a steeplechaser, he will rate as the horse to beat in the revamped Mercedes Great Northern Steeplechase at Ellerslie in September.

"That's what I'm aiming him at," admits Wheeler.

But today Bart has the ringcraft on the giant chestnut from Taranaki.

He has won four of his 10 steeplechase starts and is about to embark on what should be his premium jumping year.

Bart won at Ellerslie last weekend when trainers Sheryl and Roger McGlade felt he could be vulnerable in terms of real fitness and is certain to have pulled significant improvement from the race.

He is not at his true best in extremely heavy track conditions. A puggy track, which could eventuate given there was not as much rain as expected yesterday, would not be a great help, but Bart still deserves to start favourite.

Stable apprentice Kara Waters last week got her win out of the way after a long spell on the sideline with a twice-broken collarbone and should be full of confidence for the big test today.

Deceit is the query horse. She looked stunning when making a blunder and still fighting hard to be just beaten by talented Gold Jet in the Waikato Steeplechase.

She backed up a week later last week and disappointed slightly in finishing third to Bart, even allowing she made a jumping mistake. She is too good to drop for that one miss.

The Storytella should be in for a great winter. Even though the Browne horses are fit when they go to the races for the start of each campaign, The Storytella is entitled to be slightly better for his first-up second to Bart here last weekend.