NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Racing

Racing: Tough Kerry can notch rare double

By Mike Dillon
13 Dec, 2007 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Mirkola Lass returns to winning form at Avondale last week. Photo / Dean Purcell

Mirkola Lass returns to winning form at Avondale last week. Photo / Dean Purcell

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

KEY POINTS:

The connections of many of Kerry O'Reilly's rivals in tomorrow's $120,000 Waikato Times Gold Cup believe he'll have a tough task lumping his 58kg topweight.

It's up to the old bloke to prove them wrong.

There is no question the 58kg will prove difficult, but there are stats
to say he might just do it on his favourite racetrack.

The first is the way he shouldered the same weight when beaten only a long neck by Spin Around in the Counties Cup at Ellerslie.

He didn't manage the rain-affected track that well that day and was held up just long enough to delay rider Cameron Lammas from making his run in the home straight.

Spin Around's subsequent Avondale Cup victory, where he buried the opposition, makes that form look pretty good.

Kerry O'Reilly has never had an aversion to Ellerslie, but he has always looked better the reverse left-handed way round at Te Rapa, the same direction he is trained at Matamata.

In the last two years he has:

* Won an open handicap in late 2005.

* At his next two starts won the Counties Cup, which was transferred to Te Rapa, and the Waikato Gold Cup.

* Finished 3rd in Snazzy's group one International Stakes when the 2000m was a touch sharp for him.

* Last year finished 8th to Sir Slick in the same race when not in the same form as he is now.

* Two starts back finish a close second to Altesino when one race short of full race fitness.

There is little question Kerry O'Reilly is in form close to the best of his career and don't forget he was good enough to finish a close second in the Kelt Capital a little more than a year ago before embarking on a Melbourne Cup campaign that did not see him at his best.

The 58kg might catch up with him late in the race, but on current form he is the one they have to beat.

A couple of talented mares in Mirkola Lass and the rapidly-emerging Genuine Offer might prove the most difficult to beat.

Mirkola Lass is tough and her York Cup win at Avondale last weekend showed she was on the verge of a very lucrative campaign if weight does not eventually tell on her.

Genuine Offer has come from a R80 win two starts back to a group two event - not unheard of, but very rare.

Horses that emerge that rapidly often flounder after a winning treble like Genuine Offer has achieved, but co-trainer Donna Logan says the little mare has never looked like doing that.

"I think the key to her is that she is so laid back in her races," she said. "She absolutely goes to sleep for as long as you want her to in her races and then picks it up and sprints when she's asked.

"She's a tiny little thing and I'm sure her attitude helps her keep going."

Genuine Offer only just scraped punters through she won at short odds at Ellerslie at her last start and was the subject of an objection for interference.

But the 'off' track on the Counties Cup programme that day was right against her.

The sprint she has been able to muster when asked to let down on a dry surface has been hugely impressive.

If she can produce that with just 51.5kg on her back tomorrow, she could eclipse this field.

Genuine Offer has drawn one of the outside gates, but is a back runner and there is a long run to the first bend from the 2400m starting point at Te Rapa.

Donna Logan rates fellow Ruakaka-trained Mirkola Lass as the horse to beat.

"She's tough and she looks an absolute picture at the moment," she said.

Taikorea has probably not been an attractive betting proposition for much of his career, but there was little wrong with his Wanganui Cup victory last start.

Co-trainer Howie Mathews believes the horse needs to be given freedom and Taikorea has won at both the last two occasions that he has been able to run freely in front.

Figure Of Speech is better placed with 56.5kg than he has recently, but his best form has been on wetter tracks than he'll strike here.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Racing

Racing

Mick On Monday: Pike pair could be two new stars of the saddle

06 Jul 06:13 PM
Racing

Brosnan stable stars with jumping double at waterlogged Te Rapa

05 Jul 05:00 PM
Racing

Caitlyns Wish claims seventh win in Te Rapa sprint race

05 Jul 06:26 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Racing

Mick On Monday: Pike pair could be two new stars of the saddle

Mick On Monday: Pike pair could be two new stars of the saddle

06 Jul 06:13 PM

Two talented young jockeys from very different back rounds have become stablemates

Brosnan stable stars with jumping double at waterlogged Te Rapa

Brosnan stable stars with jumping double at waterlogged Te Rapa

05 Jul 05:00 PM
Caitlyns Wish claims seventh win in Te Rapa sprint race

Caitlyns Wish claims seventh win in Te Rapa sprint race

05 Jul 06:26 AM
Bosson in right head space and weight range for racing return

Bosson in right head space and weight range for racing return

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP