Sovereign Banner races in tomorrow’s feature, the Gore Grass Track Cup, and the 3yr-old, Eamon Maguire, starts in race 11.
Overcoming race circumstances, rather than their ability, could decide whether they add to their impressive records. Though Sovereign Banner meets a small but highly competitive field, it is his standing start manners, rather than the class of his rivals, which is the worry.
The Bettor’s Delight 5yr-old has had only one try from a standing start and he made a complete hash of it. That was behind Captain Dolmio in the Tuapeka Cup. Though his run to catch the field and finish into third was a good effort, it was part of a downward spiral for the horse.
A hard run at Gore in his previous start and the tough effort in the Tuapeka Cup would eventually "flatten" the horse, Anderson said.
That led to Sovereign Banner twice finishing fourth, well below his usual high standards.
Those runs were backed up with a win, in the horse’s latest start at Forbury Park earlier this month, which would signal he was back to his best form, Anderson said.
If he brings his standing-start manners tomorrow, he can measure up, Anderson feels.
While he has done all he can to get the horse to step away in training, he is taking a wait-and-see approach whether Sovereign Banner will get away safely in his grass-track debut.
The horse will be doing well to match both the standing-start manners and the performance Costa Del Magnifico put in at Waikouaiti last week in his first start on grass. A repeat of his effort to run third, off a long handicap on a hot pace in Boomer Bailey’s Waikouaiti Cup, should make him the horse to beat tomorrow.
The race start is also Anderson’s concern for Eamon Maguire who takes on a strong c2-3 field in the final event.
The horse has drawn the awkward barrier 8 on the outside of the front line, over the 1800m grass short-course.
Though Eamon Maguire has blazing gate speed, it would be left up to master reinsman Dexter Dunn to get a feel for the speed off the front line, before deciding whether he will use it.
What Anderson has more control over is the condition of the horse, which is where he wants it.
The horseman also lines up newcomer All Star Magician, previously with Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen, in race 10.
Anderson rates the horse a good chance in his first start since he was unplaced on New Zealand Cup day.
The trainer has recently had a more familiar horse transferred to him from the Purdon-Rassmussen barn. Titan Banner is back in Anderson’s care after recovering from a leg knock that ended a planned Hunter Cup bid. Purdon and Rasmussen initially oversaw the horse’s recovery, during which he was on a water-walker regime.
"I said I’ve got a big water-walker here — it’s called the Pacific Ocean," the Westwood Beach trainer quipped.
- Jonny Turner
