Racing: Pitman stable wins double

Michael Pitman. Photo / APN

Riccarton trainer Michael Pitman is of a mind to back up Coup Align at Caulfield next Saturday after a win in the A$75,000 Apache Cat Classic at Cranbourne, Victoria, yesterday.

"He has proved he can back up such as when he won the Pegasus and Stewards within four days at the NZ Cup meeting last year," Pitman said from his Cranbourne base last night.

"I am tempted to back him up. There is a A$200,000 race over 1100m at Caulfield available for him next Saturday."

Coup Align (57kg) won over 1000m yesterday in the hands of Victorian jockey Glen Boss.

The horse, owned in Christchurch by Ray Coupland and his partner Jill Walls, has now won 11 of his 17 starts.

Pitman also trained So Elusive to win the previous race, a A$20,000 event with Craig Williams the rider. So Elusive is owned in Auckland by Jim Bruford and Jim Piper.

Pitman said Eleanor Coup shaped like an improver in her race yesterday.

Pitman took Coup Align and So Elusive to Australia on September 15, along with Eel Win and Eleanor Coup. Eel Win has been under treatment for a stomach ulcer.

Coup Align had finished sixth in a lead-up race at Caulfield.

Coupland is also in the ownership of Fears Nothing, one of four winners at Hawera on Saturday for Foxton trainers David Haworth and Matt Dixon and jockey Hayden Tinsley.

They also won with Halls, who ran on from well back in the Egmont Cup, Rendezvous and Tulloroan.

Tinsley had won the Egmont Cup in 1991 (Westgate) and Kaapeon (2001).