Racing: Passchendaele soldiers on

Passchendaele has powerful form going into the Waikato Cup at Te Rapa tomorrow.

When you've got a topline emerging horse you have to have plans.

Trainer John Sargent has plans way beyond tomorrow's $100,000 Waikato Times Gold Cup at Te Rapa for the favourite, Passchendaele.

Like the Auckland Cup at Ellerslie in March.

Not that the Matamata horseman would mind picking this race up on the way through.

Sargent has long held a big opinion of Passchendaele as a coming topline stayer, which is why the mare has had only eight race starts.

And why she won't have too many more races before the Auckland Cup if she wins tomorrow.

"The Montjeu horses don't take a lot [of racing]," said Sargent.

Passchendaele comes in nicely at the weights at 53.5kg and Sargent is keen to protect that same level for the big staying prize in March.

This is the classy mare's first start in open company and few horses are capable of tearing off a race like this the first time they step up, but Passchendaele does. She beat a moderate field with reasonable ease at Pukekohe last start.

The win didn't have enormous authority about it, but it's worth remembering she was having her first attempt at right-handed racing.

Tomorrow, Passchendaele is back running left-handed, the way she is trained at Matamata and has a lot of positives going into the race.

"She's very, very well," said Sargent.

Talented southern mare O'Reilly Rose is likely to be difficult to beat.

She was only one length and one length from the first two Ginga Dude and Boundless in the $100,000 Avondale Cup last week. The first two had a clear advantage after going extremely wide on the home bend and finished right on the outside of the track, while O'Reilly Rose was in inferior footing closer in.

O'Reilly Rose's 56.5kg is as much as you like to see mares carrying over 2400m, but balancing that a little is the fact that, overall, this is not a classic topline staying field.

Another visitor, Butch James rates highly, even though there is always a question mark on horses coming back from 3200m.

Butch James didn't get all favours in running before finishing fifth, three lengths from My Scotsgrey, in that New Zealand Cup. He was also noticed getting home strongly into fourth, also behind My Scotsgrey, on the first day at Riccarton.

Mirkola Lass probably hasn't been in the best form of her career lately, but she is classy and always rates a chance.

Her biggest issue will be the 58kg topweight. It would be a marvellous effort if she won under such a big weight.

Much more comfortably placed is another emerging type in Bakup.

It was a very easy win he scored in R90 class at Avondale last week and will be suited by the step up to 2400m this time.

WAIKATO CUP

* Passchendaele has had only eight race starts, winning four.
* She has her first open-class start in the Cup and opened up the favourite.
* Trainer John Sargent has big plans for the highly talented mare.
* Southerner O'Reilly Rose is backing up after her solid Avondale Cup third.