Prime mounts for Innes

BY TIM BARTON

Leith Innes has picked up two plum mounts on the big day at Te Rapa on Saturday.

The Auckland jockey has been engaged for Victoria Derby winner Monaco Consul in the Group I Darci Brahma Stakes (2000m) and Wealth Princess in the Group I Waikato Sprint (1400m).

He will also ride November Rain in the Group II Sir Tristram Classic (2000m).

Innes has replaced David Walsh on Wealth Princess and picks up the Monaco Consul mount in the absence of Sydney rider Corey Brown.

Monaco Consul would be an intriguing runner in the weight-for-age Darci Brahma, though he is not yet a certain starter.

He has also been nominated for the three and four-year-old 2000m at Te Rapa and might miss the meeting altogether if the track is hard.

However, trainer Mike Moroney was happy to learn that the Te Rapa track was rated as a dead 5 yesterday morning, following overnight rain, and that further showers are forecast.

Monaco Consul jarred up when failing in the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day and will not be risked if there is a chance of a repeat at Te Rapa.

"He would want the fire out," Moroney said. "We want him at his best going into the [New Zealand] Derby [at Ellerslie on March 6] and a couple of the tracks recently have been pretty firm by international standards."

Moroney trains in partnership with his brother, Paul, and the pair will assess which race might be the easier assignment for Monaco Consul this Saturday.

"Paul thought there would be a lot of speed in the weight-for-age race and that it could be run in two minutes or quicker, which would make it a pretty tough run race," Moroney said.

However, only eight horses have been nominated for the Darci Brahma, in which Monaco Consul will carry 54kg, while he would carry the topweight of 58kg in the three and four-year-old race.

Monaco Consul, who has had only seven starts in his career, was a $3 favourite for the weight-for-age Zabeel Classic but was never in contention. "Corey [Brown] said the horse felt a bit scratchy in his preliminary and wanted to lug out all the way. He lost ground at every corner and never really took part," Moroney said.

"He was jarred up through the shoulder and took a while to come right. He had some time off before working on the water-walker for a while.

"But we are happy with him now and he worked well this morning. Paul said the horse had a decent blow after the work but he does tidy up pretty quickly."

Brown, who rode Monaco Consul in the Victoria Derby, has commitments in Australia this weekend but has not yet counted himself out of contention for the mount in the $2.2 million New Zealand Derby.

Walsh won five successive races on Wealth Princess but has lost the mount after the mare was beaten, following an interrupted run, in the $1 million Telegraph Handicap (1200m) at Trentham.

The change of rider was requested by the mare's racing manager, Alex Wong Siu-tan, who had a long training career in Hong Kong.

"The owners felt it was time for a change," trainer Brent Gillovic said. "I found it hard to make the change personally, because I'm a loyal person, but Leith was probably unlucky not to have been on her all the way through anyway."

Innes rode Wealth Princess in her trials win but was unable to ride her in her debut at Hastings, allowing Walsh to begin his association with the mare.

Gillovic has some misgivings about Wealth Princess tackling weight-for-age company so early in her career but had limited handicap options.

He is also looking at the Stradbroke Handicap at the Brisbane winter carnival and Wealth Princess needs to boost her earnings and ratings to have a chance of making the field for a feature race in Australia.

"She was a bit flat after the Telegraph but I'm very happy with her now," Gillovic said. "I gave her a run along last week and she had a nice working gallop this morning.

"She's still a little bit above her prime racing weight but she looks really well."

Wealth Princess suffered her first defeat when sixth in the Telegraph, after starting a $5.10 favourite, but did not get a clear run in the straight.

"When you have looked at the replay as often as I have, you would have to say that she probably should have run second, at worst," Gillovic said.

- © Fairfax NZ News