KEY POINTS:
A horse named after top jockey Michael Walker is a lightweight chance to upset more favoured rivals in the $80,000 Taranaki Cup tomorrow.
Mickey has 53kg - 1kg above the minimum - in the group three 2000m open class handicap and despite consistent form remains an outsider.
The TAB last night listed the tough gelding at $14 on its fixed-odds market with only three others at longer odds.
Hawera trainer Ron Nolan said the horse was broken in by Walker.
"Michael liked him from [when he was] a foal," Nolan told NZPA. "He used to think he was something special. He always had a fancy for him."
Mickey's dam is Miss Candace who was named after Nolan's granddaughter Candace, Walker's partner.
Walker has been Mickey's regular rider but he is riding at Ellerslie and tomorrow's mount goes to Bruce Herd.
Two starts back Mickey was third to Delbrae in the $80,000 Marton Cup at Awapuni on January 12 and a fortnight later was fifth at Trentham.
Miracle Miss, from the Matamata stable of John Sargent, was last night's $5 favourite. She comes in at the minimum weight of 52kg and has won two of her last three starts.
The first of them was in a rating 80 race over 1800m at New Plymouth on December 27 and last start she scored over 2000m at Te Rapa in a race for 3 and 4-year-olds.
Sharing second favouritism at $5.50 yesterday were Balmuse and Kaapeon Way.
- NZPA
