Racing: Wall Street could be Cox Plate runner

Rising star Wall Street, easy winner of yesterday's group two Coupland's Bakeries Mile at Riccarton, could be ideal horse to tackle the Cox Plate, Manawatu trainer Jeff Lynds says.

The lightly raced Montjeu gelding recorded his fifth win in a row, beating group one winner Tell A Tale, and looked as if he could only get better.

Jockey Buddy Lammas paid him a big compliment after the race, rating him better than Vosne Romanee, who won him and Lynds the $1.2 million Kelt Capital Stakes at Hastings last month.

"He's the best horse I have ever ridden. It's the gears he's got and the way he can kick away from them," said Lammas, who was third on the jockeys' premiership last year.

Lammas had Wall Street handily placed and hooked him to the outside at the top of the straight. He said the horse did not initially respond when he asked him for top gear.

"O'Cartier stayed with me for a while, but when I asked him to extend a bit more he really stretched out."

Tell A Tale, winner of the Two Thousand Guineas on the course last year, flew home for second, 1 lengths away from the winner, with half a neck to outsider The Twist, with South Islanders O'Cartier and Eel Win boxing on well for fourth and fifth.

Lynds was keeping future plans for the horse close to his chest, saying he had yet to discuss them with the gelding's owners.

"I think he is an ideal Cox Plate horse, but that will depend on how he performs in the next three or four months."

He said Wall Street would spell for two or three weeks.

Lynds said Wall Street was only a group two horse at this stage, but "he has the potential to be a very good horse".

The Riccarton campaign was his first major trip away and he was nervy before the race, but Lammas was able to keep him calm on the course.

It was Wall Street's sixth win from just nine starts. "He just gets better and better," said Lynds.

One of Lynds' past stars, Marconee, was sixth in the 1995 Cox Plate.

Matamata trainer Mark Walker was pleased with the effort of Tell A Tale, who made up ground in the straight. "The winner is obviously a good horse. It's a handicap and the winner was well weighted."

Tell A Tale's next assignment will be the $200,000 group one Captain Cook Stakes at Trentham on December 5.

"I think we will be hard to beat there on a good ground at set weights."

The group one Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie's Christmas carnival is also on Tell A Tale's agenda.

- NZPA