Racing: Tough Kiwi can defy odds

Casa De Campo races to victory at Tauranga last month. He has been quoted at $51 to win today's Sydney Cup. Photo / Kenny Rodger

New Zealander Casa De Campo is an outsider with the bookmakers, but has a few pointers in his favour for today's group one Sydney Cup.

The 7-year-old Generous gelding, a A$51 chance on TAB Sportsbet, has had only one start at the 3200m of tomorrow's Cup and that ended in disaster when he lost his rider in the Auckland Cup last month.

However, Donna Logan, who trains Casa De Campo in partnership with Chris Gibbs and Dean Logan, said she had no doubt about him getting the distance.

"He's a lovely stayer and really tough," she said last night.

Whether he has the class to match it with the likes of fellow Kiwi Mr Tipsy, Master O'Reilly and Divine Rebel remains to be seen.

But Logan says the likely damp track gives Casa De Campo his chance and she would like to see further rain before the big race.

"It is not that he doesn't go well on good tracks, but he handles the wet better and that might slow some of the others down."

Casa De Campo had shown he was on target for the Auckland Cup with a win in the Cup Prelude at Ellerslie over 2400m on February 14.

He was looking like running into a placing in the Cup but lost rider Mark Du Plessis after clipping heels.

He showed no ill effects from that, bouncing back to win over 2170m at Tauranga on March 21 and then was a close second to I'm Isaac over 2200m at Te Aroha on April 4.

Logan hasn't hesitated to whisk her horses across the Tasman for a tilt at major staying races and had a second in the 2006 Cup with Zabeat when Frenchman Olivier Doleuze rode him.

She had engaged young Sydney rider Tim Clark to ride Casa De Campo at 51kg, but when he advised he would have to ride at 0.5kg over that weight, the stable opted for Clare Lindop.

"She was very keen to take the ride," said Logan, adding the change was justified with small concessions of weight vital in major staying races.

Logan said Lindop, who won the VRC Derby last year, was a talented rider unfazed by big occasions.

Casa Campo ran third in the 2007 Grafton Cup when trained by Roger James, but transferred to the Logan and Gibbs stable on James' recommendation because he thought the gelding's tendon problems would improve better with beach work.

Most New Zealand interest will centre on Mr Tipsy, from the Murray and Bjorn Baker stable, who is an A$8 chance and is proven at the distance after his second in the Auckland Cup.

SYDNEY CUP HONOUR ROLL

* Sydney's premier staying event first run in 1866 when won by Tattendon.
* On the honour roll are some of Australasia's greatest gallopers: The Barb (1868, 1869), Carbine (1889-90), Straight Draw (1958), Apollo Eleven (1973), Battle Heights (1974), Double Century (1979), Kingston Town (1980), Tie The Knot (1998-99) and Makybe Diva (2004).

- NZPA