Stars finally come into alignment for visiting British hoop

Daniel Oakden. Photo / Otago Daily Times

Daniel Oakden knew his time was about to come on Mr Align in Saturday's $47,500 Grant Plumbing Wellington Steeplechase.

In the middle of last week the 22-year-old Englishman was certain Mr Align could make up for the terrible five weeks he had been through since missing the winning ride in the McGregor Grant Steeplechase.

Oakden spent four weeks sidelined for a raceday weight indiscretion, but he was to go through one more embarrassment before picking up the feature win he had been seeking.

Mr Align dropped him into the freezing surf at Raglan beach during the final workout.

"I was frozen and I didn't take a change of clothes with me.

"I had to jump back into the lorry freezing and wet for the drive home."

The bright side of that story is that Mr Align's antics proved to Oakden the horse was back on track after a useful, but slightly disappointing run when third in the Manawatu Steeples.

Co-trainer Graeme Rogerson blamed himself for backing Mr Align up a fraction too soon after the tough McGregor Grant win in extremely testing conditions and was similarly confident the real Mr Align would parade at Trentham.

"He owed me one in this race," said Oakden, who had ridden only two winners in England before he arrived in New Zealand last August, which means he has ridden only six in total, but he handled Mr Align like a veteran.

When Mali Juraj went clear 700m out, Oakden sat quietly on Mr Align and waited.

He had sought the advice of retired riding master Tommy Hazlett which he followed.

Mali Juraj cleared the last fence just in front, but Oakden had kept sufficient powder dry to sweep past.

He lost the winning ride on Mr Align in the McGregor Grant on race morning when Graeme Rogerson decided the 5kg he had lost in the previous 36 hours had weakened him beyond the point of doing the horse justice.

Oakden said yesterday that the weight loss this time had been no easier and he rode Mr Align .5kg overweight, but there were no obvious signs of lack of strength late in the race.

"The adrenaline kicks in during a race and you're never aware of it."

Oakden says he intends staying in New Zealand and has become a Warriors fan, even, he says, flopping into the odd game of rugby.

He is confident he can get on top of his weight issues and if he can he has a real future.

Mali Juraj fought bravely, but Mr Align, as he had at Ellerslie, was extremely powerful in the closing stages.

"He's as game as anything, he really wants to win," said Oakden.

Climbing High, not suited to the heavy footing of the course proper late in the race, was brave in finishing third after making most of the running.

Wanganui horseman Kevin Myers enjoyed a good start to the day when his maiden hurdler Gioarchino scored in the second race, followed by the win of Honey in the Richoh Wellington Hurdles.

The 7-year-old mare, runner up at her two previous starts in much lesser company at Te Aroha and Awapuni, handled conditions better than her more seasoned rivals to beat Ruakaka jumper Seeking The Silver and Hawkes Bay Hurdles Harvest The Gold.

Favourite Solid Steal probably found the going too holding and faded out. Another well-supported runner Mount Sinai fell and Henry Daniel and Hot deputy also came to grief in the 3400m event.