Racing: Pacy Stewards winner fires warning message

Canterbury flyer Coup Align will have only one more start before tackling the $1 million Telegraph Handicap at Trentham on January 23 after she raced away with the group three $100,000 Stewards Handicap at Riccarton yesterday.

That will be in a 1250m sprint at Waikouaiti, north of Dunedin, on New Year's Day for a stake of $11,000.

"I think he is the fastest horse in the country," said Ray Coupland, who owns the Align 4-year-old with his partner Jill Walls.

Trainer Michael Pitman is in no doubt he is and claimed a sidebet on the race from Graeme Rogerson, who co-trains another speedster San Bernardino, who had to settle for fifth yesterday.

Central Districts jockey Lisa Allpress confirmed that opinion saying Coup Align was easily the fastest horse she had ridden. "Unbelievable," she said, shaking her head.

Coup Align flew out of the gates from his wide barrier draw of 12 and led easily. Allpress steered clear of the rails entering the straight and when the pursuers approached Coup Align's hindquarters at the 150m, he found another gear and sprinted away.

He won by 1 lengths from Faalcon, with a further half a neck back to Turf Fire. They flew late to relegate former South Australian The Chunkster to fourth.

Coup Align cut out the 1200m in 1:07.79 seconds, the fastest time in the race since Cotton Club's 1:06.72 in 1990.

Pitman had left some room for improvement in the gelding after his win in the 1000m Pegasus on Saturday.

"He was very fresh on the first day, but it was a great effort in backing up.

"He's a brilliant horse."

Coup Align has won eight times from 12 starts, four of them at Riccarton, for $175,000 in prizemoney.

Smart mare Barinka will be aimed at the group two Lady Norrie Stakes for fillies and mares after her win in the listed Canterbury Breeders Stakes.

The Lady Norrie Stakes over 1600m will be run at Te Rapa on December 12.

It was her fourth win from 20 starts and followed a victory at her previous start, at Rotorua on October 17.

"We have just been waiting for a reasonable track," Otaki trainer Karen Zimmerman said.

Despite a wide draw, jockey Mark Du Plessis was able to get Barinka into a nice spot off the rail and Zimmerman was confident the way she was travelling at the top of the straight that she would win.

She had nearly two lengths to spare from Chinon, while Snipza Gold was an eye-catching third, storming home from the back of the field.

Barinka is owned by a syndicate formed by Wellington breeder Graeme Hunt, who had the misfortune to see star galloper Efficient scratched from the Melbourne Cup earlier this month.

Hunt and three others own a 25 per cent share in Efficient.

- NZPA