New Zealand Cup day: Mark Walker eyes luck for Captured By Love and Mehzebeen

Captured By Love won at Taranaki on February 3. Photo / Peter Rubery

Champion trainer Mark Walker thinks New Zealand Cup day could be about luck and that could start even before the meeting begins.

Walker and training partner Sam Bergerson have key chances in both the New Zealand Cup and the more glamorous NZ 1000 Guineas, which puts them in a rare position as they also have a filly in the Australian 1000 Guineas at Caulfield tomorrow.

Their 1000 Guineas rep here is Captured By Love, who has on occasion looked outstanding but has also had a lot go wrong this spring. So if she is going to run past favourite Alabama Lass she is going to need her luck to change.

“It has been a really tricky spring with races being called off and being transferred and then she missed the start in the Hawke’s Bay Guineas when she was enormous behind Savaglee.

“She was third to him again at Te Aroha on a track that didn’t suit her so by the law of averages her luck has to change at some stage.”

Walker is hoping that is before the Guineas is even run as he wants the rain forecast for Riccarton on Friday and into Saturday to stay away or at least not push the track too far into the slow range.

The next piece of luck Captured By Love will need comes in the form of some help from her rivals, at least one of them putting pressure on Alabama Lass in the middle stages.

While there is no guarantee Alabama Lass will lead, she will be there or close to the leaders and if the middle stages of the 1600m are run at a slowish tempo Alabama Lass could be too fast for even Captured By Love.

“You would think the other jockeys would be awake to the fact if they give her an easy time they won’t beat her so I hope there is some tempo,” says Walker.

“So we are going to need a bit of luck in a few different areas but if we get it I know she can win.”

Sydney jockey Joshua Parr, who had success at the Cup Week carnival for Te Akau two years ago, returns to ride Captured By Love tomorrow.

While Walker is looking for luck with his filly he realises he has already had his share with stablemate Mehzebeen leading in tomorrow’s $400,000 New Zealand Cup.

The former Oaks placegetter led throughout to win the obvious lead-up race, The Metropolitan, last Saturday and while that earned her eight rating points for future handicapping purposes, they won’t apply until after the Cup as the Metropolitan winner can’t be re-handicapped.

So Mehzebeen carries the same 53kg she did last Saturday albeit also aided by the compressed handicap because of Arjay’s 60kg top weight.

“She gets in well considering what she did last week and she is a good staying mare,” says Walker.

“She was a really good staying filly and ran second to Pennyweka in the NZ Oaks but she had a bit of an off-year last season like a lot of four-year-old mares can.

“But she is right where she needs to be now.”

Mehzebeen may still need to be better than she was last Saturday as the field is stronger, including last season’s Wellington Cup winner Mary Louise who would really come into her own if the rain falls.

Add in Arjay, who won this race two years ago, in-form pair Sacred Pearl and Canheroc and Beavertown Boy, who ran Mehzebeen close last week when storming home, and it is a decent New Zealand Cup.

Meanwhile, at Caulfield, the New Zealand-bred filly Stage N Screen represents the stable in Australia’s 1000 Guineas as a $12 chance.

“She was a really good fourth without any luck last start and I wouldn’t be surprised if she goes a big race,” says Walker.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.