Racing: Sir Slick must emulate great Desert Gold

Don't tell Sir Slick - he's got enough pressure on him just now.

But at Awapuni on Saturday the gutsiest horse to compete in New Zealand for years is trying to break a 91-year-old record in the $100,000 Lawnmaster Awapuni Gold Cup.

Last year Sir Slick joined an elite group of five horses to have won the Awapuni Gold Cup in consecutive years - Nightmarch, Picaroon, Young Ida, Commissionaire and Distinctly Secret.

Only Desert Gold, considered the matriarch of early New Zealand racing, won the race three times.

The race was introduced in 1916 and Desert Gold won the first three runnings.

Sir Slick will appreciate being back this time to weight-for-age racing after carrying 59kg in last week's group two Japan/NZ International at Tauranga in which he conceded some hefty weights to the opposition.

This time he has to beat the likes of last-start Ellerslie winner MacO'Reilly, Stand Tall and Vosne Romanee.

The Awapuni Gold Cup honour board includes the names of most of the top horses through the years.

It includes Grey Way, Balmerino, La Mer, Horlicks, The Phantom, Fun On The Run, Calm Harbour, Kindergarten, Redcraze and Key.

Manawatu officials released a sigh of relief yesterday when most weather websites wound back their weekend weather predictions for rain on Saturday to a few showers on Friday and occasional showers early on Saturday before becoming fine again.

The track yesterday was rated at a good 2.

The time Mufhasa ran in an exhibition gallop at Paeroa races yesterday wasn't the most important thing trainer Stephen McKee wanted to see.

McKee was more interested in what happened in the following two and three minutes.

And he got what he wanted.

"He didn't blow as hard as he did when he won his barrier trial at Avondale recently, so he's come on the way we wanted him to," said a delighted McKee.

For the record, Mufhasa, working alone six or seven metres out from the rail with Sam Spratt in the saddle, ran 800m from a moving start in 46.74, the last 600m in a touch better than 34.

This season's outstanding sprinter/metric miler leaves for Sydney on Tuesday and will run first in the A$400,000 ($497,000) George Ryder Stakes over 1500m at Rosehill on Golden Slipper day on Saturday week.

The George Ryder is a group one weight-for-age event.

That will serve as his lead-up into the A$2 million Emirates Doncaster Handicap (1600m) two weeks later at Randwick.

Sam Spratt will ride him in both races.

Mufhasa has been given 54.5kg in the Doncaster, a reasonable weight given his stunning New Zealand form. He's not only been winning races by margins, he's been recording extremely fast times.

"That gallop shows he's pretty close to where we want him," confirmed McKee yesterday.

The New Zealand TAB had Mufhasa at $14 for the Doncaster last night.

All Silent was the $5.50 favourite.