Racing: Victory puts trainer on spot

Melbourne jockey Michelle Payne is in the mix for the Auckland Cup ride on Bazelle.

The Matamata mare had no chance of making the field for the $350,000 New Zealand Herald Auckland Cup until she brilliantly won yesterday's Nathan's Memorial at Ellerslie.

Trainer Paul Jenkins has been left with the last-minute job of finding a rider when Bazelle went from 40-something in order of entry to the field to being exempt from the ballot.

Bazelle was ridden yesterday by Australian jockey Rhys McLeod, who has already taken the Cup ride on Mistrale, who won the $100,000 Speights Queen Elizabeth Handicap at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

McLeod is Michelle Payne's partner and put her name forward after yesterday's win.

"Michelle said if she got a good ride she'd definitely come across," said McLeod.

Because Bazelle carried only the minimum weight of 52kg she was also exempt from a re-handicap for yesterday's win, so Jenkins has limited options for a rider and wanted overnight to consider it.

What might help him decide is the fact that Mark Du Plessis may become available because his ride All's Well is going to struggle to make the field when it is declared at 11am today.

If the field stays intact as it was last night, All's Well will be either third or fourth ballot.

The only horse ahead of him with a question mark over it last night was Waltermitty.

Trainer John Wheeler yesterday told ARC racing manager Butch Castles that he was 50-50 about getting Waltermitty over a slight problem.

At best, All's Well would be second ballot, freeing Du Plessis to take the Bazelle ride if it was offered.

"Noel Harris, if he hasn't already taken a ride, and Lisa Allpress are probably my other options," said Jenkins.

The Matamata trainer has always had a huge opinion of Bazelle, but admitted plenty of sleepless nights over her.

"She's one of the unluckiest horses around.

"Have a look at her record, she has never run a place in her life. When things have gone her way she's won, when they haven't she's bombed out."

Bazelle has traditionally been a back runner, but yesterday she went straight to the front.

"I told Rhys if he could get a cheap lead, take it."

McLeod redefined the term cheap lead - he got away with murder.

Bazelle ran her last 800m in front in a remarkable 45.66, which left the opposition absolutely no chance.

She won by two and a half lengths and continued on strongly around to the 1200m in the back straight.

"I couldn't pull her up," admitted McLeod.

The interesting feature was that warm favourite Fountain Abbey could have cost himself an Auckland Cup start with his inability to do better than eighth.

Admittedly he had no chance of making ground from worse than mid-field the way the race was run and rider Michael Coleman added something to that by declaring he needs a softening of the track.

"But that seems on the way," said Allan Peard, who is stable foreman for Fountain Abbey's trainer Bruce Wallace and who took the Cup ride on Cambridge stayer Garrard.

If the shadow field does not change, Fountain Abbey will be the first emergency and Gristle the second emergency.

If Waltermitty does not accept, Fountain Abbey will probably scrape in to the field.