Racing: Trainer gets last laugh in Guineas

Sculptor and Lee Tiley (yellow cap) storm down the Ellerslie track to surprise all the big names and score a great victory in the classic. Picture / Dean Purcell

Peter McKenzie, Lord Of The Rings actor, solicitor, singer and horse trainer, laughed when he looked at the Sculptor formline in Ellerslie's racebook yesterday.

"Failed to measure up in Australia, but has ability," it said in the $150,000 Speights Great Northern Guineas line-up.

McKenzie disagreed with only part of that statement.

The ability was spot on, he reckoned, and Sculptor proved it when he helped re-adjust the 3-year-old ranking by taking the Guineas at $33, leaving some big reputations in his wake.

McKenzie took the 3-year-old to Sydney for the Spring Champion Stakes.

"Australia was a non-event. He got upset in the stalls at his first start and was then wide all the way.

"He started to get upset in the gates the second time and they scratched him, which meant he had to go into the Champion Stakes without a lead-up race."

Sculptor this time got the breaks and in a relatively tight finish held out the favourite Black Panther.

"I was impressed with the way he accelerated and the way he got to the line," said Lee Tiley, having her first ride on the horse.

Sculptor looks Derby material. He is a big, slightly light-boned type who will benefit from the Derby being moved 2 1/2 months to March.

McKenzie has no idea what he will do with Sculptor before the Derby. "I'll have to look at the Derby and work backwards."

Grant Cooksley was not prepared to make excuses for Black Panther despite the fact that a number of long-striding horses that got back in running yesterday found it difficult to run on strongly.

"The winner's a pretty fair horse and my bloke had his chance to get him in the final stages, but a couple of things had worked against him earlier.

"I was following Darringdo and he didn't take me into the race like I wanted him to.

"When you get out wide you get into the ground that was used when the rail was out wide at the previous two meetings. That was the first time today I'd been out that wide. It's not that easy out there."

That lack of a true pace upset the chances of several runners and added further to the confusing picture as 3-year-old form unfolds.

Lightly raced Ruakaka gelding Darringdo threw his name into the ring with a solid third in just his fourth start.

"We're stoked with that result and it shows that were on the right track," commented co-trainer Dean Logan.

One beaten jockey looking optimistically towards the Derby is Noel Harris, the rider of fourth placegetter Congaline.

"After what he did wrong he should have stopped," said Harris.

"He pulled that hard I had no option to let him stride and then he fought all the way to the finish."

Trainer Mark Walker had hoped for a better result with the addition of blinkers, but after Congaline raced so keenly they will most likely be removed.

Walker's other runner, Olympic Light, didn't help his chances by hanging before finishing eighth.

Leith Innes was forgiving of Willie Ryan's seventh placing, another who did not appreciate the lack of tempo.

"Don't worry, he'll keep," he said.

Fancied runner America's Cup blew his chances by refusing to settle from his wide draw and dropping out to beat just one runner, albeit less than five lengths from the winner.