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Win number 800 in New Zealand for Murray Baker and immediately a lot more to look forward to.
That was the Vickezzchardonnay story for the Cambridge trainer at New Plymouth on Saturday.
And it wasn't restricted to Taranaki.
Murray and Bjorn Baker will take Vickezzchardonnay forward to the $1 million Stella Artois Auckland Cup on March 4 along with their Ellerslie Saturday winner Mr Tipsy, if he can make the field.
Vickezzchardonnay's $80,000 Taranaki Cup victory had all the elements of what you've come to love about the little grey mare.
She didn't get everyone on board initially simply because she's a no-issue horse. She does nothing spectacularly, but does everything very, very well.
She wasn't entitled to win this race. Madredeus flattened her on the home corner when she swept around and took the lead.
On a course with a home straight as short as Taranaki that is simply a death wish - there is no time to pick up again and sprint.
But sprint Vickezzchardonnay did. For a long time in the final 300m she wasn't going to be able to catch Madredeus, but like only topline horses can do, she won when it looked like she couldn't.
"Yes, I thought that was the end of it on the home bend when that horse dealt to us," said in-form rider Buddy Lammas.
"But boy, is she game."
She is also very tough. Remember she was placed in the 3200m New Zealand Cup, placed again in the Wellington Cup and will be tackling 3200m again at Ellerslie - all in the first half of her 4-year-old career.
That's impressive.
Murray Baker has great admiration for the mare.
No Auckland Cup rider has been confirmed.
"She was safely in the race a couple of weeks ago with 51kg, so I offered the ride to Sam Spratt," said Baker.
Buddy Lammas' low-end weight would be 52kg, which Vickezzchardonnay has been re-handicapped to 52kg for Saturday's victory.
"Nothing has been confirmed, we'll have to wait and see what happens," said Baker.
Baker says Mr Tipsy needs another race before the Auckland Cup and it will be either the R94 distance event at Otaki on Friday or the St Leger Trial on the same programme.
Mr Tipsy ran a slightly faster 2100m than Down The Road in winning the $100,000 Championship Stakes and fellow 3-year-old Late Edition in winning the last.
"The plan all along was to get both these horses into the Auckland Cup on the lightest possible weight and it's coming together," said Baker.
On a day when it looked extremely difficult to make ground from behind, Maythehorsebemagic ran on gamely into second from last of the five runners on the home bend.
He is also full of staying promise and is headed for the St Leger at Trentham.
A race earlier at Ellerslie, Casa De Campo outstayed two of the more fancied Auckland Cup runners, his own stablemate Genuine Offer and Prize Lady.
The latter's effort with so little racing behind her was exceptional and she showed that if they get a wet track yet again for the Auckland Cup she could put herself in the position of winning the race three straight.
The Murray and Bjorn Baker-trained Fully Fledged was pulled out of his Australian debut on Saturday because of the wet conditions in Sydney and is expected to run this coming weekend.
