KEY POINTS:
A horse nicknamed Arnie and his best mate, an accomplished horseman and part-time movie star, set off a week ago.
Peter McKenzie loaded Sculptor on to the float at his Ohau property, near Levin, at first light on Monday last week and made the long drive to Auckland, armed with the $41,000 Melbourne Cup final acceptance fee and a healthy dose of optimism.
He was rated a $300 chance and the sniggers in Melbourne were almost audible.
But the affable, softly-spoken McKenzie, aka King Elendil in the Lord Of The Rings film trilogy, knew what kind of horsepower and character he had.
"He's a 110 per cent professional racehorse, and very intelligent," McKenzie told NZPA.
"If he was human he'd be a Rhodes scholar. He's very cool."
McKenzie bred Sculptor from his Strathcarron Stud sire His Royal Highness, out of the mare Betelgeuse. The pair hit it off from the start.
"I've known him since he was born. He knows the rules and we get on pretty well."
He became known as Arnie around the stables, after his early trackwork rider Arnold Taiaroa.
The colt showed early ability and McKenzie, never shy about travelling his gallopers, took him to Brisbane as a 3-year-old.
A huge run for fourth in a Queensland Derby was followed two days later by a third to Art Success in the Brisbane Cup. An early tick at 3200m and the Melbourne Cup was a step closer.
He won an Ipswich Cup in Brisbane last June but ran fourths in the Caloundra Cup and Queens Cup, which he needed to win to qualify for Melbourne.
So McKenzie took the punt last week, crossing the Tasman on Wednesday knowing he had to win Saturday's SAAB Quality to secure a Cup start.
A gun ride from Lisa Cropp, Sculptor's tenacity and McKenzie's yells and whoops from the Flemington birdcage got him home. A speechless McKenzie wiped away tears and apologised to the television interviewers for his lack of composure.
"Arnie's more relaxed than I am. He's done a lot of travelling and he really enjoyed the day out there," McKenzie said later.
"Now he's had a look at Flemington he'll probably think he owns the place and hopefully perform as well on Tuesday."
The only time Sculptor loses the plot is in the Australian barriers, which are more enclosed than New Zealand's. He reared and missed the start by 15 lengths in this year's Brisbane Cup and on Saturday he reared again and nearly blew his big chance.
Stewards refused McKenzie's request for him to be loaded last into the barriers today, but the attendants have been told: grab both his ears and he'll be okay.
"It's important that he's handled properly in the gates. There was a misunderstanding on Saturday.
"Once he's got hold of, he's fine. He's claustrophobic in these overhead gates and he just wants to get out."
Since Saturday, McKenzie's phone has been ringing off the hook and television crews have been knocking the stable door down at Bangholme, south of Melbourne, where he's based at 1998 Melbourne Cup winner Brian Jenkins' place.
McKenzie won Melbourne's premier sprint, the Oakleigh Plate, with Mr Illusion in 1985 but this attention tops it all.
McKenzie took his charge to the beach yesterday t for a 30-minute paddle in the surf, replicating his routine at home.
He's drawn barrier eight so Cropp will find a handy spot in the running. Up to 25ml of rain since Saturday has softened the track nicely.
"The track's still in superb condition, but rain-affected ground aids him dramatically."
- NZPA
