KEY POINTS:
Winning the trainers' premiership doesn't happen by accident.
John Sargent wants to have a real crack at the 2007-2008 premiership and scoring a winning double in Saturday's $300,000 Wellington Cup and $200,000 Thorndon Mile would be about as timely as it could get.
The Karaka Yearling sales start
less than 48 hours after those races and soliciting owners into the 15 to 20 yearlings the Matamata trainer plans to buy would be just so much easier to syndicate with the Sargent name in the headlines of Monday morning's paper.
But if Sargent is feeling any pressure around that, as usual it doesn't show in his relaxed demeanour.
Having top Australian Glen Boss and Noel Harris to help in the big Trentham double provides some level of confidence.
Sargent's chances of taking the Century City Wellington Cup advanced dramatically when Everswindell won the minor handicap at Trentham on Monday.
Many will underrate her chances on Saturday because of the overall class of opposition in Monday's race, but the Matamata mare went to the line with plenty to spare and Harris sitting quietly.
Sargent says he understands the public's slight underrating of Everswindel, compared to the charisma around her stablemate Sharvasti.
"Everswindell does exactly what she wants to do, which is why often gaps will close before she's ready to go through them," says Sargent.
Despite that racing style perhaps taking some gloss off the mare's reputation, Sargent equally knows the quality of some of her performances in high class races.
Boss, riding as guest of the Wellington Racing Club, has landed the ride on Sargent's Fiscal Madness in the Thorndon Mile.
"At least I won't have to give him any riding instructions - he knows what he's doing.
"Fiscal Madness goes forward and he's an easy ride.
"Bossy won a race for me on Bandara at Hastings a couple of years ago and it was a great ride - he drew wide.
"He's a class act."
Sargent is expecting significant improvement in Fiscal Madness' one-length second to Sir Slick in the Anniversary Handicap on the first day at Trentham last Saturday.
"He had a good sweat and he's improved."
Sargent also has Penny Florence in the Thorndon as a lightweight chance, but Ciara, who was to have been his third runner, pulled up slightly sore in training yesterday morning.
"It's nothing serious, but you can't go into a group one race unless you're 100 per cent," said Sargent. "It's a shame because she galloped brilliantly the morning before."
Not even the possibility of rain can dampen down Sargent's hopes.
"For a start that track could take a fair bit if it happened to rain. Everswindell finished third in the Lowland Stakes at Trentham on a slow track and Fiscal Madness loves it when it rains."
To accommodate more horses, Sargent says he's hoping for expansion of the modern barn he leases off the Matamata Racing Club.
"I'll be advertising on television to syndicate the yearlings I buy at Karaka to get more people involved.
"Look at Everswindell - there are 20 shares in her and probably 40 owners among those shares, so they're getting a big thrill from having a horse in the Wellington Cup.
"With the stake money going up it's a great time to become involved and hopefully get the money back rather than throw it away."
Wellington odds
Wellington Cup $300,000, opn hcp, group one, 3200m (run at Trentham on Saturday): $4.60 Willy Smith; $5.50 Envoy; $6.50 Respect, So You; $7.50 Everswindell; $17 Mirkola Lass; $18 Dimondsontheinside, He's So Vain, The Bighearted; $26 Downwind; $31 Far Away Places, Genebel, Taikorea; $51 Sordid Affair, Arreviderci; $61 Blaze'n Rule; $81 Its All Good; $101 In Theory.
Thorndon Mile, $200,000, opn hcp, group one, 1600m (run at Trentham on Saturday): $4.40 Wahid; $5.50 Sir Slick; $7 Fiscal Madness; $7.50 Bonjour; $11 Shikoba; $16 Gaze; $17 Penitentiary; $18 High Octane; $21 Penny Florence, Magnetism, Delbrae, Rosina Lad; $26 Pins'N' Needles; $31 Korau Road, Pinmdown, Taalisman, Maroofity, The Silence Sir; $41 Belthazar, Mohican Brave; $61 Shinzig.
