KEY POINTS:
The two open-class stars born in the wrong country are about to end up where they actually belong.
On one flight coming into Auckland in the next fortnight will be defending New Zealand and Auckland Cup champion Flashing Red, heading back to Tim Butt and Phil Anderson, the men who steered him to glory last season.
On a flight out of Auckland this week, heading for the United States, will be Winforu, the speedster who went so close to winning last season's Interdominions in Adelaide.
When they get to their destinations, the pair will arguably be where they belonged all along.
While Flashing Red's return to New Zealand may be temporary, Winforu has been sold and looks set to enjoy a fruitful career in the US, where his sprinting prowess will be far better suited than it was in New Zealand.
While Winforu will never be remembered as one of the greats of New Zealand pacing, he did push Blacks A Fake close in last season's Interdominions, using his greatest weapon, his gate speed, to almost pull off an unlikely victory.
That was after two heats wins, one of them his second track record at Moonee Valley. In all he made three Interdominion Finals.
Winforu also went within a nose of completing the Derby double, winning the Great Northern Derby before being nosed out in the New Zealand Derby.
Winforu also won the Flying Stakes and Moonee Valley Cup, providing an open class bridge for trainer Geoff Small between his two champions, Elsu and Changeover.
"It will sad to see him go but he should do a hell of a job up there," said Small.
"He was one of those horses who just kept going great races season in season out, but because he never won a really big open-class race people probably didn't appreciate him.
"But he won a lot of money and I am glad his owners have been able to sell him now when he is still a top horse rather than seeing him race on here for another season or so and start to battle."
Winforu has won 18 races and $575,525 in stakes and is one of the few Kiwi pacers in recent years to win almost as much money in Australia as he did in New Zealand.
Which is what makes him and Flashing Red so peculiar.
Both were horses who could have been superstars much earlier had they been born in each other's homelands.
Winforu is always more potent on the smaller Australian tracks with their emphasis on gate speed and is a natural for racing there or in the United States, where almost all races are a mile.
Here he found the extra distances of the Interdominions and major cups just outside his range.
A complete opposite, Flashing Red confirmed last season that he loves the standing start, longer-distances races on the big New Zealand tracks.
Flashing Red is back to start a new campaign of those, with his owners changing their original plans which would have seen him race in Australia until October and then come to New Zealand.
The move may have been decided by the beating he took from Blacks A Fake and Be Good Johnny in last Saturday's Winter Cup in Brisbane.
Unless he can lead, which he usually can't, or sit parked, Flashing Red doesn't corner well enough to win major races in Australia.
But back in the South Island, where he can intimidate his rivals on the huge tracks, he should be in for a profitable spring.
While he has always been a warrior, it wasn't until Butt and Anderson took over Flashing Red last season that he found a home suited to his relentless racing style.
Once he settled in, he ground out crushing wins in the Methven Cup and Ashburton Flying Stakes before his unbelievable New Zealand Cup win.
He then returned to Australia where he struggled, apart from in the longer Victoria and Auckland Cups, before joining the Butt-Anderson stable in time to win the Auckland Cup.
He does, however, face a much tougher task defending those titles then he did winning them.
He is a 10-year-old this season and faces a 15m backmark in the cup, which will be a far stronger field this season than last thanks to Monkey King, Changeover, Awesome Armbro and Classic Cullen.
"It won't be easy for him," said Butt, "but we are thrilled to be getting him back because he is a great horse."
