Racing: Rising star may woo owner from sun

It's going to take a lot to budge high-profile harness owner Kypros Kotzikas from his winter home in Cyprus this year.

But Pukekohe trainer Don Dwyer thinks he's found the answer with the Kotzikas-owned Lazaros, a winter galloping star in the making after his impressive Ellerslie win.

For more than a year now Dwyer has promised the normally Christchurch-based Kotzikas a major Riccarton victory to go alongside the dozens of big-race trophies he has collected from the rival code's Addington base.

After the way Lazaros ploughed through the Ellerslie mud on Saturday to win by 2 1/4 lengths from Wise Man's Step, Dwyer's Winter Cup dream for August looks more of a reality than ever.

"I've based everything around the Winter Cup this year to give Kypros a home-town victory," said Dwyer, who also saddled Dead Rabbits at Ellerslie for an even easier win in the last race on the card.

"He's kind of ruined those plans by building a winter home in Cyprus this year, but hopefully this horse will convince him to come back to see it."

As thrilling as a winter feature will be for his fledging training operation, it's also payback time for Dwyer, who quit the harness code three years ago, disillusioned with handicapping and red-tape.

Right from the time he wrote out the cheque for Lazaros as an unraced 3-year-old Kypros was adamant he didn't want the horse flogged through the mud, and Dwyer is confident he is about to reap the dividends.

"We've taken it easy with him and it's done him the world of good," said Dwyer yesterday.

"He's a big strong brute now - he's come home from Ellerslie and done good."

Dwyer, who splits the training of his 12-strong racing team between a nearby beach and his own 800m training track, was confident he had Lazaros ready to win fresh-up for Rogan Norvall on Saturday.

The Slavic 5-year-old never gives much away at home, but a sharp trials placing at Matamata behind Heez Leica had Dwyer sure he was forward enough to strike early.

The only problem was that until the heavens opened at 5am on race-morning Dwyer was convinced he would have to scratch.

"I was tossing and turning all night listening for that rain - I wasn't going to start him on an easy track.

Dwyer heads to the Trentham winter carnival next with the four-race winner.

If he wins the PQ 1400m on July 9, expect Lazaros to make his open grade debut in the Whyte Handicap.

"He's got one more win in him before open class, I'm not going to jump straight in there - I don't believe in wasting opportunities," said Dwyer.

Stablemate Dead Rabbits, touted as a New Zealand Derby prospect earlier on in the season, isn't joining Lazaros in Wellington, despite the ease of his intermediate graduation at the weekend.

Dwyer said the gelding, another by the sire Slavic, could have just one more run in this campaign, in a $30,000 3-year-race event at Hawera next month.

"He's not really a wet-tracker but he's got a lot of ability," said Dwyer.

"I'm tempted to put him aside now to the spring, but he's a lunatic spelling so we might just keep him in the stable to keep on top of him.

"He's still immature but getting stronger all the time."