By MIKE DILLON
If Jim Wallace is right there is bad news for Australasia's weight-for-age horses.
Wallace swears there is huge improvement in Cent Home, dashing winner of Saturday's $A200,000 St George Stakes at Caulfield.
Cent Home narrowly beat fellow New Zealanders Giovana and Kaapstad Way and Wallace said the dashing but often luckless galloper was a long way short of full fitness to do it.
"He'll improve three, to four, to five lengths on that performance," said Wallace yesterday.
"And I mean that. He came to the end of it more than 100m from the finish yesterday and he did the last bit on heart alone.
"He had a decent blow afterwards."
All of which means Cent Home is definitely the horse to beat in the $A1.25 million Australian Cup a fortnight today.
Leg and muscle problems have hampered Cent Home's brilliant but erratic career.
"That's the first time we've been able to get three races in a row into him," said Wallace.
Veandercross is the only Kiwi horse good enough to win the Australian Cup since Bonecrusher in the mid 1980s.
Asked for his comments immediately after Saturday's race, Wallace said they might like to rename the race this year.
On television's Racing Retro yesterday Richard Freedman, brother of high-profile trainer Lee Freedman, said it was difficult to argue with that line of thought.
The Kiwi barrage is only going to get stronger.
Provided she races well at Ellerslie on Saturday, high class mare Showella will race in the Australian Cup and trainer Robert Priscott is still weighing up the chance of Hill Of Grace being at Flemington.
The only Australian horse seen capable of footing it with the New Zealanders is the Western Australian Northerley, who won well in handicap class in Melbourne last week.
Giovana did not let herself down in lunging at Cent Home late after looking no chance of pushing him close. Only half a neck separated the pair.
But it is looking doubtful if Chris Munce will be on Giovana in the Australian Cup. Munce today began an 11-day suspension he copped last week in Sydney for careless riding. In an earlier race on Saturday Munce was suspended for a further 15 days.
Giovana's caretaker trainer, Roger James, said last night that he had not confirmed a rider.
Glen Boss' agent called yesterday offering his services.
Kaapstad Way came home strongly from well back in the field for third and will clearly be a fitter horse for the Australian Cup.
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