Racing: Placegetters on course for Melbourne Cup

King Johny and Sculptor kept their Melbourne Cup hopes alive for connections when finishing third and fourth respectively in the $40,000 Egmont Cup at Hawera yesterday.

The pair, among just seven New Zealand-trained horses still entered for the cup on November 7, were using the 2100m handicap as another stepping stone towards Flemington.

The Egmont Cup proved a good Melbourne Cup guide in the 1980s, when Waverley stayer Kiwi won the Hawera feature on his way to winning the 1983 cup.

Although they were soundly beaten yesterday, King Johny and Sculptor made ground strongly in the home straight behind winner Miles, which led all the way to hold out Mac Five.

For the second week in a row, New Plymouth jockey Paul Taylor produced a great front-running ride to guide Miles home, dictating his own rules, just as he did when winning the $100,000 Kelt Memorial aboard Pinprick at Hastings the previous Saturday.

Miles, which showed an overdue return to form after some recent poor efforts, is prepared at Levin by Peter McKenzie and is a stablemate of Sculptor.

The other feature race at Hawera yesterday, the $70,000 Hawkeye@ Stoney Bridge Stakes, saw experienced jockey Grant Cooksly produce a gem of a ride in booting Rosetti Bay home a decisive winner.

Rosetti Bay settled well back in the 1400m fillies and mares' feature and looked to be in an impossible winning position when surrounded by a wall of horses at the top of the home straight.

Cooksley weaved a path through the field over the final stages and she dashed clear in the final 100m to notch her third consecutive win from as many starts this season.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY