Racing: Trainer determined to stop Aussie rout

Last Friday night Sovereignty (8) covered ground too late to catch Let Me Thru. Photo / Dean Purcell

Sean McCaffrey could be New Zealand's secret weapon in the battle to stop an Australian monopoly of the Interdominions.

In fact, he is more like a spy.

The Cambridge trainer has perhaps New Zealand's best chance of winning either final on Friday week with Sovereignty, the second favourite for the $250,000 Trotting Final.

Most Kiwis have already conceded an Australian-trained horse will win the $800,000 pacing final, although we can at least pretend the fact the winner could well have been bred here makes us all feel better.

But the trotting series is evenly poised and McCaffrey is bullish about Sovereignty's chances.

And who better to bring about an Australian downfall than McCaffrey, the most Australian-like of New Zealand trainers.

McCaffrey speaks like an Aussie, his conversations full of amusing quips and intelligent yet biased analysis.

You could make a case he trains more like an Aussie, his horses are often fit at the start of their campaigns and McCaffrey always encouraging his drivers to be aggressive.

McCaffrey's colours are even Australian, being green and gold. Ironically Sovereignty doesn't race in the stable colours but those of owner Charlie Hunter - which are also, entirely coincidentally, green and gold.

And this sort of quote is what we usually expect from cocky Australians rather than shellshocked Kiwi trainers midway through a series in which we are getting pasted.

"I think you reverse the draws from last week and we beat Let Me Thru," said McCaffrey of Sovereignty's second to the series favourite last Friday.

"I rate the Aussies but I am not scared of them. I think my horse is just as good as them and I won't be scared to get up outside them and see how tough they are. In this series you aren't going to be given anything, you are going to have to take it and I think my horse can do that."

Sovereignty should have beaten Let Me Thru and Sundon's Gift two starts ago but cost himself certain victory by skipping on the home bend.

Then last week he was outstayed by Let Me Thru after the winner worked harder earlier and Sovereignty covered more ground late.

On Friday night Sovereignty faces a second line draw against two-time Interdominion champion Sundon's Gift, who McCaffrey loves. But he didn't love his run last Friday.

"Unless he was tied up last Friday they have a problem because he stopped way too badly for a horse of his ability," he says of Sundon's Gift.

"He is a great horse but we can beat him and I want Maurice [McKendry] to get handy and put our boy into the race." That confidence, which is hard to find among Kiwi horsemen down on horsepower at this carnival, stems from Sovereignty's return to form over the summer.

"He has had five hard runs in six weeks over the Christmas period and his best one was his last one.

"He will handle a hard series and we will let him show us how good he is."

If Sovereignty is able to come from behind Sundon's Gift to win on Friday night he could press Let Me Thru for favouritism for the final, especially if he fares well at the crucial barrier draw function at Alexandra Park next Monday night.

Sovereignty is at $5.50 for the final, with Let Me Thru at $3. The Swedish mare Annicka is the worst result for the TAB, ahead of I Can Doosit, who was heavily backed early before yo-yoing out to $8.50 and back to $7.

The fixed odds markets for Friday's second round of heats will open today.