Racing: Trainer far from happy before win

Photo / Thinkstock

Greg Lambert says he wasn't confident for Saturday's $100,000 Aussie Browne's Winter Cup at Riccarton when he looked in Superturf's feed bin on race morning.

"He'd eaten nothing but a pick of hay in the two days he'd been here," said Palmerston North-based Lambert.

As countless have before him, Superturf showed that can often mean less than nothing when he powered over the top of the leaders in the closing stages of Saturday's feature.

"I also didn't feel confident about the holding track," said Lambert.

"When he's been beaten it's generally been on a track like he struck this time. It put a real doubt in my mind."

The horse Lambert calls a big baby won three straight at this time last year, then didn't win for nearly 12 months until successful by 10 lengths at Manawatu in June. "I believe he's a bit of a thinker this bloke, but he's very sound and he's got a big future."

For the past 30 years Lambert has run a few stock and a bit of cropping and survived on the sale receipts from the Karaka yearling sales.

"It's starting to get difficult, but this season I'm hoping for a return from a full brother to the Queensland Derby winner Shootoff."

Masa Tanaka did nothing wrong on Superturf, driving him between horses at the 375m and forging clear late.