Racing: Tender care pays off

When Diane Bowbyes packed up her Takanini training operation a couple of years back she never dreamed she would ever saddle another runner.

Despite her handy strike rate the numbers simply weren't crunching on the right side of the ledger each month.

Her retirement plans came unstuck, however, when she watched her exciting staying prospect Megabucks working for previous trainers, Kim and Shaun Clotworthy.

Bowbyes said the Beau Zam 4-year-old, a late winter find in his last campaign, had become almost uncontrollable in his Takanini fast work, apparently because of a tooth problem.

Two equine dentists tried to fix it, without success.

Then, in a last-ditch attempt, Bowbyes suggested a third, a touring international expert who just happened to have time to make a career-saving examination.

"When he took the tooth out it must have been 3cm long and the roots were completely dead," said Bowbyes, who bred and co-owns Megabucks with husband John.

"All this time he'd been trying to run away from the pain. It must have been like having 1000 needles in his mouth, it must have been unbearable for him."

Megabucks repaid Bowbyes' persistence and patience with a gutsy comeback win in progressive staying grade at Ellerslie on Saturday.

But Bowbyes admits it hasn't been easy reinstating confidence in the horse, who has needed one-on-one care to get back on track.

"I didn't want to run him over 1600m because I didn't want him scrubbed up to keep up," said Bowbyes.

"You have to leave him alone and let him settle and I think it's taken three runs in to get him fit and convince him that it won't hurt anymore."

Megabucks' brave 2100m win for Lisa Cropp underpins Bowbyes' belief that the future for the son of a Balmerino mare is over 2400m and beyond.

Bowbyes, who has long had a penchant for preparing stayers, aims to test that theory in Megabucks' next assignment, the Winter Cup over 2400m at Rosehill on July 2.

He'll race in Bowbyes' name that day to help him settle in to the bustling Sydney scene before transferring to Chris Waller's barn for a couple of rich welter races.

"Hopefully we can qualify him in those races for the Melbourne Cup," said Bowbyes, whose scalps across the Tasman includes a Lord Mayor's Cup with Slam Dunk.

"He's that sort of horse now he has learned to come back to the field and settle. I'm really looking forward to what happens next."

Meanwhile, Cole-N-Co Mile winner All's Well remains on target for his next-up middle distance test, the Kiwifruit Cup.

Trainer Davina Waddell said yesterday her impressive Ellerslie winner seems to have taken no harm from the weekend's 1600m victory and will cope with the step up to 2170m at Tauranga next Saturday.

"He's a clean-winded horse and has done a fair bit of mileage to get him ready for a middle distance," said Waddell, who also saddled maiden outsider Starlight to win at Ellerslie.

"The 1600m race wasn't originally part of the plan but he was just doing too well, so he will benefit nicely from the run."