KEY POINTS:
Matamata trainer Paul Moroney is considering asking loyal stable client Ian McCarrison to take a $15,000 Kelt Capital Stakes gamble.
That's the late payment the Wellington businessman would need to make by tomorrow to give his narrow Tauranga winner Shariat's On Fire a chance of making the field for the $2 million feature on October 6.
Moroney knows it's a quantum leap from a R80 1600m event to New Zealand's richest race in just five weeks. But from what he saw at Tauranga on Saturday, and in the Mudgway Partsworld Stakes at Hastings, it could be money well spent by the co-owner of Xcellent, winner of the 2005 Kelt.
"The Kelt could drop away and I didn't see much in the Mudgway that got back and ran home strongly," said Moroney.
"This horse [Shariat's On Fire] is pretty smart. He could be a horse that goes through the grades really quickly."
Moroney says the other Kelt play with Shariat's On Fire is to wait until after his next race, against R90 rivals over 2000m, at Hastings on September 22.
If he wins like Moroney thinks he will, McCarrison could then pay a final Kelt late entry fee of $45,000 by September 25, which is refundable if the horse doesn't make the field.
"That might be the safer option," concedes Moroney.
McCarrison has a large chunk of that in the kitty already.
Shariat's On Fire's third win on Saturday from just five career starts came with a $21,000 incentive bonus.
From the day the horse ran his first trial Moroney was confident McCarrison wouldn't take long to recoup the $55,000 he paid for the athletic Keeper gelding.
For a few strides, on Saturday, however, it appeared the plans had come unstuck when local Our Star Pupil cruised ahead on straightening.
But comeback rider Jason Waddell was only foxing on the favourite and he kicked back to win by half a head.
"He rode the horse perfectly," said Moroney, who trains in partnership with his brother Mike.
"A few people said he'd set the horse a task with 58kg turning for home but if he'd got shuffled back and had to sprint from a standstill he wouldn't have won."
It was Waddell's first win since scoring aboard Alberto in the Wanganui Guineas this time last year.
Battling with weight and motivation, Waddell took a clean break from the saddle until March this year, but says he's returned with newfound enthusiasm and attitude.
