KEY POINTS:
It took his emerging star Needuask just a tick over 70 seconds at Ellerslie yesterday to underscore why with an impressive NZ Herald Newmarket Handicap victory.
Neville-White, who also co-owns Ellerslie two-year-old winner Nuke Time, thought he'd lost the gelding to Hong Kong just days earlier.
Disgruntled with the four-year-old's Railway Handicap weight of 54.5kg, Neville-White and co-owner, wife Deidre, reluctantly accepted a lucrative - but undisclosed - offer days after his Concorde Handicap win.
But Neville-White says Needuask failed the final vet test because of a small lump above the knee.
"He had it when we bought him as a yearling and it's never worried him while racing, but it was enough to turn him down for Hong Kong," said Neville-White, who paid $35,000 for the horse as a yearling.
"We didn't want to sell him. Deidre and I are not sellers but I guess it wasn't meant to be."
Neville-White admits he was a "bit disappointed" in Needuask's 2kg rehandicap to 54.5kg for his Concorde victory, fresh from R90 grade.
But a condition of yesterday's race means the gelding can't be penalised for the $200,000 Waiwera Mineral Water Railway at Ellerslie on New Year's Day.
"After the way he won today you could say the handicapper got it right and I got it wrong," conceded Neville-White, whose only other Railway runner was his first horse Kangas Lad about 30 years ago.
The scariest thing for Needuask's Railway rivals, however, is the revelation yesterday the horse went into the Newmarket massively underdone.
Convinced Needuask was sold to Hong Kong, co-trainer Richard Yuill had only galloped the Howbaddouwantit gelding twice since his Avondale victory on December 5.
"Grant Cooksley worked him two days ago and said he'd improved from the Concord," said Yuill.
"I thought he must have still been feeling the knock on the head from 12 months ago; the horse really needed that.
"The biggest thing now is the draw [in the Railway]. If we don't get that we'll just have to ride him for luck."
Rider Sam Spratt, who retains the Railway mount, gave Needuask the perfect trip from his four alley yesterday and the pair were untested to score in 1.11.08s on a dead surface.
They may not need to go a whole lot quicker on January 1.
With a top rating of 102 amongst the nominees, the Railway is lacking the superstars of recent years.
"He might be the star this year," said Yuill. "He's definitely stamped himself as a Railway horse. He's just needed time to mature into himself."
