KEY POINTS:
Vinny Colgan was relieved after the running of the $150,000 Rotorua Cup at Tauranga yesterday.
Colgan was the replacement rider for the injured Opie Bosson aboard glamour racemare Katy Keen, chasing her seventh consecutive win, when contesting the First Sovereign-sponsored event.
"I didn't want to be remembered as the rider who was on her [Katy Keen] when she was beaten and I'll let Opie know that I'm ready to ride her again when needed," said Colgan. "We had a good run close to the speed and she pricked her ears when we worked into it wide out on the hometurn and then rolled them back and knuckled down to fight off those other horses when they came at us."
Bosson broke a shoulder blade in a trackwork accident on Wednesday in Wanganui and Colgan was called in.
Katy Keen was backing up after an effortless victory last Saturday at Te Rapa.
Her stunning formline must now force trainer Stu Manning to be careful how he places the mare with upcoming Cup races in New Zealand and Australia next season.
Manning must be the envy of most professional trainers - having a freakish athlete like Katy Keen in his care - and multiple racing options next season.
PRE-RACE form was completely ignored when smart punting money backed Ististar into third favouritism before the running of the $75,000 BOP Stakes.
The Stephen McKee-trained mare had failed to fire all season but proven wet track form saw her odds tumble quickly before the running of the weight-for-age fillies and mares event.
Regular rider Michelle Wenn did not have to cover extra ground in the home stretch to look for better footing as this combination sprinted powerfully along the rail to win by 1 1/2 lengths over the fast closing Twinkling.
A further long neck away third was the favourite Culminate.
"Overall you'd think her form has been shocking this season but she hasn't being that far away in her recent runs and the easing of the track saw her come into calculations today," said McKee.
"She does like it when there has been a fair bit of rain around and her record in those conditions is very impressive.
"I'll keep her ticking over in training until there is another fillies and mares race at Tauranga in June then she'll head out for a break," said McKee.
"This is a time of the season when I generally scale down the overall size of my racing team and start to concentrate on educating a lot of my younger, untried horses."