Fresh off tackling the Warrnambool May Carnival with Berry The Cash, Awapuni trainer Mark Oulaghan is back home and looking forward to kicking off his Champion jumper West Coast’s season this weekend.
The imposing son of Mettre En Jeu will compete on the flat in the Palamountains Nutrition Maiden (2060m) at Wanganui on Sunday, and while Oulaghan isn’t expecting to see his charge feature in the finish, it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.
The nine-year-old gelding ran fourth over 2200m first-up last year, and Oulaghan has been pleased with his progression this time in.
“He has done things pretty right, he has done a bit of work. He is probably on a par with other seasons,” Oulaghan said.
“A flat race isn’t really his thing, but he is just there for a conditioning run.
“If he goes quietly early, I think he can run home well, it just depends on how the race is run.”
Stablemate Super Spirit is a dual acceptor for the meeting, but Oulaghan is leaning towards running the nine-year-old gelding in the Dr John D. Moore Memorial Open Steeplechase (3800m) over the Ken Duncan Racing Maiden Hurdle (3000m).
“He will probably run in the chase,” Oulaghan said. “He is not the fastest horse around and I think steeplechasing suits him better. I just thought if it was going to be a wet track there, he could have run in the maiden hurdle, but I think the track is going to be reasonably good.”
Oulaghan’s Wanganui representation will be rounded out by Kentucky Boy in The Grant Sweeney Memorial Open Hurdle (3000m).
“He will run in the open hurdle, it’s a conditioning run for him, and next start will be a steeplechase,” he said.
A day prior, Oulaghan will take just the one runner south to Trentham, with Jack Morrison set to tackle the West Coast Sponsored By Wairepo Herefords (1600m).
“He is a little bit of an enigma, he has had one or two problems,” Oulaghan said. “We will run him there and get a bit of a line on him on Saturday and see where we are with him.”
Meanwhile, Oulaghan is looking forward to welcoming back Berry The Cash to his stable on Thursday after an Australian campaign that netted fourth placings in the Brierly Steeplechase (3450m) and Grand Annual Steeplechase (5500m).
“He gets back to the stable this (Thursday) afternoon,” Oulaghan said. “I haven’t seen him since the race, but by all reports he is quite perky and well.
“We will give him two or three weeks in the paddock and then look at something further down the track for him.”
Oulaghan enjoyed his time at Warrnambool and isn’t ruling out a return but said it would unlikely be with his star jumper West Coast.
“Like everything new that you do, it was a learning curve, but Warrnambool was quite interesting,” he said. “I just don’t know whether he (West Coast) is an Australian-type of horse. His forte is heavier tracks and bigger fences, and over in Aussie it is a bit different, they run on better ground and over smaller fences. I just don’t know whether it would all-together suit him, but I guess you don’t know until you try. At this stage, we will keep him around here.”