Racing: Plenty of pedigree for Bakup in St Leger, Banchee to miss Slipper

Bakup has some family tradition to live up to when he tackles today's AON New Zealand St Leger at Trentham.

As stayers go, there is plenty of history in Bakup's pedigree going into the classic.

His granddam Daria's Fun created history winning the Wellington Cup on the same strip of grass Bakup will tread this afternoon.

In winning the 1988 Wellington Cup, Daria's Fun established what was thought at the time to be a world record 3200m time of 3.15.82. In determining the credibility of that effort, consider some of the more recent 3200m Wellington Cup-winning times.

Envoy clocked 3.22.38, Zabeat 3.20.73, Cluden Creek 3.26.49, Oarsman 3.19.53 and Cyclades 3.20.20.

Bakup just won the St Leger lead-up at Otaki and it might pay to ignore his unplaced run when eighth in Zavite's Auckland Cup.

"He didn't get all the luck in the Auckland Cup," says co-trainer Murray Baker of Bakup.

"He got held up behind horses when the sprint came on and I thought he did well to finish on into where he did given the circumstances. He was running on nicely at the finish."

This is not a vintage St Leger field.

Fellow northerner Mr Charlie should figure in the finish. The firm track was against him at Ellerslie last start.

* Class act Banchee will not be heading to the A$3.5 million Golden Slipper Stakes in Sydney.

That is a great shame - outside of McGinty who cracked a leg beating the eventual Slipper winner Marscay two weeks out from the big race in 1982 - New Zealand has probably not had a better chance.

Principal owner Sam Kelt has advised trainer John Sargent that he is unable to send the filly to the Slipper.

The A$150,000 late entry fee is steep even though Banchee has won $277,000 from her handful of New Zealand starts, which includes victory in last week's $200,000 Auckland Diamond Stakes at Ellerslie.

"That's a great shame because I rated her Slipper chances highly, but it's Sam's call," said John Sargent.

What would have made Banchee such a great chance in the Slipper was her ability to follow any speed and finish very hard.

The Golden Slipper is often mistaken for a pure speed race.

It is anything but.

The race is run so hard in the early and middle stages it is almost always won by something finishing very hard.

Banchee is that sort of horse.

Big international money is what every owner and trainer looks for.

Others that will miss out on one big opportunity will be class fillies Keep The Peace and Eileen Dubh, leading chances in this afternoon's $200,000 Oaks at Trentham.

The connections of both have been looking for an invitation to the American Oaks, run at Hollywood Park in Los Angeles in the first week of July.

Unfortunately things have changed this year for the race that four years ago was the brainchild of Hollywood Park chief executive Marty Panza.

The big change is that the owner of Hollywood Park recently sold the complex.

As a result many of the topline races have been downgraded.

Hollywood Park joined the worldwide trend towards sponsoring horses to top races and invited, free of any cost, top class fillies to the American Oaks.

The race has gone from US$750,000 last year to US$250,000 with no travel subsidies.

"That's a great shame because when we put the race in place we were working towards having the connections of leading chances in races like the Oaks in New Zealand looking to come to Hollywood Park," Panza said.

"Just as we achieve that the economics turn around."

If Keep The Peace races up to expectations today she will head to the AJC Oaks in Sydney, a race that may also attract Eileen Dubh.