By MIKE DILLON
Don't waste your time asking John Wheeler about the quality of the opposition facing Maybe Rough in the world's richest jumpng race.
He is simply not interested even though Maybe Rough will tackle the $3.2 million Nakayama Grand Jump in Tokyo on Saturday.
The widely travelled Taranaki trainer has a much different approach to measuring the established form credentials of his horses against the opposition in international races.
"Forget the others, simply have your horse in the best possible condition on the day," Wheeler said yesterday from Japan.
International thoroughbred racing - a huge development in the past 15 years - has thrown up the truth that travelling well and arriving in the best possible condition is as important to the result as ability.
Wheeler has another personal comfort to fall back on.
"I have always believed the New Zealand horse can compete with anything in the world, provided they are in the best shape possible on raceday, and that includes our 2-year-olds against the Australians.
"You hear these stories that our sprinters can't match it with the Australians - that's nonsense.
"Courier Bay beat a top field out of sight in Brisbane one day after missing the start by five lengths, Rough Habit won two Stradbrokes and Mr Tiz did the impossible when he won probably Australia's toughest sprint, The Galaxy. Our horses can compete anyhere."
Wheeler also has confidence from his two trips to Tokyo with Rough Habit for what was then the world's richest race, the Japan Cup.
"Even my owners said when we got here with Roughie that we had no chance against the much more robust American horses.
"I said our only job was to get our horse right for raceday and he finished a very unlucky fifth in one attempt."
Wheeler will be happy when the sole opportunity to school Maybe Rough over the tiny Japanese fences this morning is out of the way.
"I am not making excuses but we have been hugely disadvantaged by the Australian horse Palace Symphony pulling out of the trip at the last minute. It has meant Maybe Rough has had to be on his own for both trackwork and for the jumping session tomorrow.
"That's a disadvantage because you have to put some pressure on your horse when you are getting ready for a steeplechase.
"That's not easy when you don't have a mate to work with."
Wheeler's job is more difficult than it could have been because leg troubles mean Maybe Rough has not had a steeplechase start in two years.
But he believes the horse will not lack too much in fitness.
"Personality wise the isolation has not affected him because he is a bit of a loner anyway."
Clearly, he would also have preferred a grass track to work on than the deep sand Maybe Rough has been using for the past week, but the height of the jumps is foremost on Wheeler's mind.
"I'm not sure the English horses are going to be suited in this race because their fences at home are very tough and they have to clear them rather than go through them.
"Here the horses travel so fast because of the smaller fences that you can't win unless you brush through them.
"We are a little bit in the same boat [as the English horses] because you can't brush through the Australian fences the same as ours back in New Zealand.
"That is why our hurdlers do better in steeplechases in Australia.
"Because I knew Maybe Rough had a big future in Australia I have never started him in a steeplechase in New Zealand.
"That has left him with not much idea of how to brush through fences.
"I am holding my breath a bit over how he handles that in the school tomorrow morning, but I think he will be okay."
Maybe Rough is a superb jumper when he gets his confidence and that is where his advantage may lie.
"I have watched a lot of videos of the local steeplechasers and they seem to jump indifferently and get away with it because the fences are small."
The New Zealand TAB is unable to provide betting on the race because it cannot secure television coverage.
Racing: Trainer not worried by international opponents
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