Racing: Sprinters steer clear as Coup Align reigns supreme

There were no takers for a $200,000 match race with Riccarton rocket Coup Align. Photo / Simon Baker

It might have been where horse racing originated, but match racing took a backward step yesterday.

There were no takers for the $200,000 winner-take-all match race with classy Canterbury sprinter Coup Align.

Owner Ray Coupland declared he would put up $100,000 if the owner or owners of any other sprinter would do the same to match-race Coup Align over 1000m at Riccarton next month.

But when the deadline to declare arrived yesterday, the phones were silent. Perhaps rival connections were intimidated by Coup Align's winning effort in Sunday's A$75,000 Apache Cat Stakes at Cranbourne in Victoria.

"It's a shame because Ray Coupland declared after that race that the horse was definitely coming back to New Zealand if anyone put up the match race stake," said Canterbury Racing chief executive Tim Mills.

"Ray is a man of his word so he would have followed up."

Coup Align's victory at the weekend was his 11th from 17 career starts.

There's no mystery over why it was difficult to compete against the Australian buyers for potential stayers at February's Karaka yearling sales.

Saturday's Caulfield Cup tells you why.

Of the 18 horses guaranteed a start, 10 are New Zealand-bred.

Then you have one each bred in Ireland, Britain, Japan and France.

Australia has just four home-breds: Shocking, Alcopop, Dariana and Faint Perfume. And Faint Perfume is out of a Zabeel mare, Zona.

No question Australians have the world's best grass track sprinters, but the staying blood pretty much stays here in New Zealand.

There will always be an irony that Australia breaks its neck to breed sprinters - and does it very well - and puts up the most stakemoney to run staying races.

Harris Tweed will be the only New Zealand-trained runner in Saturday's A$2.5 million Caulfield Cup.

Red Ruler, prepared by John Sargent, is the second emergency behind import Mourayan and requires a miracle to gain a start.

He will run, instead, in the 2000m David Jones Handicap in which he will clash with another Kiwi in Ginga Dude.

The barrier draw will be conducted today.