“You could really feel it at the Pukekohe meetings recently, with so many good local riders and some of the Aussie lads popping over.
“I think it is great for New Zealand racing and we enjoy it too, we all want to be out there in top-class races as well.”
Doyle likes his book tomorrow but says Grail Seeker is the one who will need the least luck after she chased home two very good fillies in Molly Bloom and Mary Shan in the Eight Carat Classic on Boxing Day.
Tomorrow’s Group 3 is minus many of our best fillies as they contested either the Levin Classic last week or will start in the KM Three-Year-Old next Saturday so Grail Seeker finds herself in the ideal race.
“She has to be hard to beat,” says Doyle, who sits third on the jockey’s premiership with 61 wins.
“Her draw is okay, she drops in grade and the big track should suit her.”
Doyle realises El Vencedor is stepping up in grade again in the Group 1 Thorndon tomorrow but suggests the combination of his speed and handy draw could make him hard to catch.
“He is a fast horse who should be able to get up on the speed, although ideally I’d prefer a trail.
“There are some good horses in here but a few of them are coming back in trip so I reckon we have a show.”
He partners Leaderboard as the pair try to defend the Wellington Cup title they won last year but the greatest difference is last year Trentham was a Heavy 10.
“He is going well enough the old boy but a monsoon wouldn’t do us any harm,” laughs Doyle.
One horse who won’t need rain but whose chances would improve with it is Billy Bunter (R10, No 8) in the Duoro Cup with the gelding’s improvement having stunned Doyle.
“This horse has turned himself inside out, he is like a new horse.
“The way he is racing now we see him as an open-class miler in the making and he will love the big straight to wind up so I think he can win again.”
Doyle reunites with Love Nesst (R4, No 11), who he is unbeaten on, for the first of the new innovation races spread around the four racing regions the $350,000 Remutaka Classic.
But while he has an outstanding record on the under-rated mare, she finds herself in one of the best betting races of the year so far and one which could give the South Islanders a very rare shot at winning a $350,000 race.
Sharrock setting out to do the right thing by two old mates
The Wellington Cup is more than a race for Allan Sharrock tomorrow, it is a chance to do the right thing by two old mates.
Sharrock is one of training geniuses of New Zealand racing and sits in the top 10 on the trainer’s premiership with a stunning strike and a Group 1 with Ladies Man to his credit already this season.
But winning this Wellington Cup with veteran warhorse Waisake in what will be close mate Tony Lee’s last Cup as a commentator would mean the world to Sharrock.
“Tony and I have been mates forever so I’d love to win his last Wellington Cup, it might even get me emotional,” says Sharrock.
“And Waisake would double down on that. We won this race together three years ago and he has had so many problems since.
“We have spent thousands of hours on him to get him back and give him this chance so I’d love to pull it off for me two old mates.”
Sharrock set Waisake for tomorrow’s $300,000 Cup at the start of this campaign and he couldn’t be happier with how the crucial last week has gone, including storming into third in the Trentham Stakes last Saturday.
“It couldn’t have gone any better really,” says Sharrock.
“He has had a light week but last week was better than expected and he is exactly where he needs to be.
“So maybe we can pull this off.”
The Cup question for punters might be, if you aren’t going to back Waisake then who are you backing?
It is a typical Wellington Cup, with a handfull of proven, black type quality stayers and some trainers having a throw at the stumps because they think their horse can run 3200m, which will be half the battle.
Mary Louise can clearly win but any rain would help, Uareastar has won an Auckland Cup while Ess Vee Are is good enough although his New Year’s Day run at Pukekohe was hardly inspiring.
Then there is the 53-54kgs brigade, of which Canheroc and Roccia make the most appeal.
Sharrock suggests Herald readers get involved early at Trentham tomorrow with his best chance Alexandra Quick in Race 3.
“She has only had one start for a win and beat Lord Donovan, who went to Cup week at Riccarton and won three for Wheels [John Wheeler] and she is ready to go.”
