It is not your average circle — it takes up most of the country.
The Steven Prince-trained galloper starts in a rating 65 race over 1200m in his first start for more than 18 months and does it more than 1700km from where he last lined up.
In November 2015, Special Duke ran a second for trainers Peter and Dawn Williams and Paul Richards at Dargaville, after coming off a last-start win at Ruakaka.
Richards took the horse north with others from his stable when he left Wingatui to move to Auckland in 2014.
While Richards has remained in the north, Special Duke has not. He returned to Southland to spell where he has been living the good life until returning to training earlier this year.
Today the 6yr-old will step out at Wingatui for the second time, after beginning his racing career on the track with a second behind Gallant Boy in 2014 before leaving Otago.
Despite being out for so long, it is not fitness or talent that is his trainer’s No1 concern in race 3 today.
"He is a pretty talented horse," Steven Prince said.
"It will be interesting — he will be an interesting runner, you could say."
It is Special Duke’s temperament which could could result in him getting a little too wound up that most concerns Prince.
"He has probably got the ability to win it, but he is a wee bit toey — he gets led to the start."
If Special Duke returns to Wingatui with too much enthusiasm for life, there is a line up of in-form horses that will make him pay.
Last-start winners Taieri Gem and Ruby Row are joined by last-start runners-up Flicka Of Gold and Polly’s Sister, who carries only 51kg thanks to Sutvhire Toolooa’s 4kg claim.
In a complete coincidence Prince also lines up another former North Island galloper in race 3.
Checkoutthemisses’ trek to line up at Wingatui is vastly different from Special Duke’s, although they do have one thing in common — they are both are sired by Bachelor Duke.
While Special Duke was enjoying the lush grass of the Southland plains, Checkoutthemisses was in still in training up north, where she ran second behind handy three-win galloper Mr Luigi before transferring to Prince’s stable.
While the trainer is hopeful of a good showing from Checkoutthemisses, he is most confident about her ability to handle the wettest of tracks, he said.
Prince’s two former northerners will be joined on today’s programme by four northerners from Sean Cameron’s Waiuku stable.
He starts Amun Ra and Hungry Eyes, a winner in her most recent last start on the track last month, in race 1.
Cameron also starts Bullit in race 6 and Lord Sibsford, who also won at the Wingatui meeting on April 26, returns for the trainer in race 8. Lord Sibsford ran a close fought fourth after hitting the lead in the run home behind Suggestive Loox at Riccarton in his last start.
The Steven Prince stable lines up a runner in race 8 who put in a handy last-start effort.Ivanskavinskyskva unwound with a big finish to run into second behind Auctioneer at Wingatui last month in a run that impressed his trainer and would be a pointer towards his chances, today.
"He drew the outer, but he came in to 14. To be fair, the winner had a pretty good run all the way."
"He would not have to improve much to win it."
- Jonny Turner
