KEY POINTS:
Realistic $200,000 City of Auckland Cup hope Bak Da Chief got some racing advice from a wise old head yesterday.
It came from former outstanding racemare Judena, not only 32 years old these days, but still an active member of the staff at the Hollinshead stable at Te Awamutu.
In fact, Bak Da Chief received some of her earliest racing lessons from Judena.
"We use the old girl to educate all the young ones," said Peter Hollinshead, co-owner of the mare with son Darrell, who trains her.
"When we are getting the young ones organised we put them in with her for a week then later when they go away to be broken in we teach them to load on the floats with her."
Judena can talk from experience - plenty of it.
She had 48 starts as a two and 3-year-old, an unheard of 24 as a juvenile and the same number the next season.
"It was my first horse," says Peter Hollinshead, almost as an apology.
"I wouldn't do the same again now, but they bred them tougher in those days."
Judena epitomised the word tough in winning 11 races. The extensive 2-year-old campaign clearly had little downside when she came out at three and won the St Leger, Great Northern Oaks, two DB Galaxy Stakes at Ellerslie and Trentham and an ARC York Handicap.
She was retired after being badly hurt in the Melbourne Cup later that year.
Judena led the Cup field and was galloped on from behind.
"Maurice Campbell rode her and said she was in so much pain on the home turn she held her breath all the way down the Flemington home straight and she still finished eighth.
"She was so bad we couldn't get her home for six weeks."
Bak Da Chief became a real City of Auckland Cup chance when she lasted in a tough finish to take the $100,000 Waikato Gold Cup over the same 2400m distance at Te Rapa last start.
Peter Hollinshead played rugby for Waikato at three different levels. He says he always loved beating Auckland and sees today's race almost as an extension of that rivalry, having already won the "home game" at Te Rapa a few weeks ago.
Bak Da Chief had her final lead-up in Boxing Day's $200,000 Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie.
The 2000m was well short of the mare's best at this stage of her preparation and Hollinshead said the stable put her in that race to avoid having to work her too hard at home.
"She had a trip to the races which has also tightened her."
Bak Da Chief finished only eighth behind Mikki Street, but it was a much better effort than it looked.
She tailed the field with the favourite Sharvasti then copped a bit of a bump as Sharvasti looked for open space on the home bend.
Once balanced again, Bak Da Chief ran to the line strongly to be only 5.5 lengths off the winner.
It was a good trial for 2400m.
The sort of effort Judena would approve of.
* City of Auckland Cup, $200,000, opn hcp, group two, 2400m: $5.50 Willy Smith, Chettak; $8 So You; $9 Casa de Campo, Three Chimneys; $10 Mandela; $13 Ntamack; $16 Valley Chief, Upstaged, Bak Da Chief; $18 Philamor; $21 Highflying, Genebel, Hurrah, Shinko Prince; $31 Accelerant, Generated; $35 Gallions Reach; $41 Myladys; $100 Tinkerbeel.
