Racing: Victory satisfying for trainer

Paul Jenkins was gracious acknowledging salutes to his training feat of winning the $350,000 New Zealand Herald Auckland Cup.

The Matamata-based trainer was the toast of the turf at Ellerslie yesterday when he produced the relatively inexperienced Bazelle to post a powerful staying performance in the Group One feature.

Jenkins has nothing left to prove as a professional trainer because he has won a stack of feature races including the Doomben Cup with the well-performed King Keitel but he was not getting carried away yesterday.

"This is the most satisfying victory I've had as a trainer as I told the owners a long time ago that they had a mare good enough to win a big Cup race and she's come out and done it today," said Jenkins. "This mare has just needed a bit of luck to fall her way as once she gets into a galloping rhythm she can run at that speed all day.

"It wasn't my original intention to start her in the Nathans Memorial but it was the last resort to get her into the Auckland Cup.

"Because this mare has such a long stride when she gets a check or bump during a race it takes a lot out of her and that has happened a lot this season.

"In her last two starts she's had clear runs and we've won the Nathans Memorial and Auckland Cup.

"I still maintain that 3200 metres is not her ideal distance and I don't think she'd be a top class weight-for-age horse.

"Her best distance is 2400 metres and next season we'll be targeting races that are run at that distance. She'll now have three months out in the paddock and I'll discuss her racing plans for next season with the owners."

Jenkins travelled the mare to Brisbane last year for a brief racing campaign.

He believed the experience of racing in Australia helped to develop the mare into a high-class equine athlete.

Jenkins was not worried about the dreadful record Nathans Memorial winners have had when starting in the Auckland Cup.

"I had to start her in the Nathans Memorial and she needed the race and also the chance to secure a starting berth in the Auckland Cup.

"She's a very strong mare and I wasn't worried about backing her up [racing December 28 and January 1] because I knew she could handle it."

Bazelle has scored six wins from 19 starts and $270,000 in career purse earnings for her four Melbourne-based owners.

Breeder and part-owner Lorna Moore was obviously confident of victory as she had her post-race winning speech was well-prepared for the occasion.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY