Popular pair lock horns again

BY AIDAN RODLEY

Two of New Zealand's finest gallopers will vie to become the first to celebrate a happy 21st at Tauranga tomorrow.

Sir Slick and Bulginbaah have both won 20 races, placing the pair in exclusive company in New Zealand turf history.

In the past four decades, only 14 horses have won 20 or more races in New Zealand.

Te Aroha ironhorse Sir Slick and Wanganui wonder Bulginbaah are the only two horses in the group to have raced in the past decade.
The pair clash in tomorrow's Gr III $70,000 Stella Artois Tauranga Stakes (1600m), the first time they have met since the $50,000 Waikato Stud Handicap (1600m) at Awapuni in January last year.

Both horses carried 58.5kg that day after apprentice claims, with Sir Slick and rider Roxanne Rattley winning and Bulginbaah, with Sam Fieldes up, finishing third.

In all the pair have clashed only five times, with Bulginbaah kept to the shorter distances while Sir Slick has shown a preference for 2000m.

Sir Slick leads Bulginbaah three-two, having held the upper hand in the 2006 Gr III Merial Metric Mile (third vs 14th) and the Gr I Captain Cook Stakes later that season (third vs ninth).

Bulginbaah has twice beaten Sir Slick home in the Gr I Mudgway Partsworld Stakes, finishing fifth to his 13th in 2006 and 10th to his 14th the following year.

The pair have at periods of their career been the among the popular gallopers in the country with Sir Slick named people's choice award winner at the 2007 Mercedes Awards and Bulginbaah prominent in voting in each of the past three years as well.

If either was to win tomorrow, they would join Commissionaire and Lord Zirito as winners of 21 races in New Zealand in the past 40 years, with only Grey Way (50 wins), Battle Eve (26), A Gordon For Me (26), Covered N Grey (24), Catering King (23), Ocean Guard (23) and Sweeney Todd (22) further up the list.

Sir Slick is also approaching another milestone.

He currently sits third on the all-time domestic money earner list and tomorrow's winning stake of $43,750 would take him just $1295 shy of second placed Horlicks.

Currently, dual Kelt Capital Stakes winner Princess Coup ($2,948,150) leads Horlicks ($1,708,270) and Sir Slick ($1,663,225) on the rich list.

Trainer Graeme Nicholson, who races Volksraad eight-year-old in partnership with Frances Crimmins, said he expected 105-race veteran Sir Slick to come out on top again tomorrow.

''I don't think he'll be beaten, honestly I don't,'' Nicholson said yesterday.

''It's not a hell of a strong field. Bulginbaah is a good horse but I'm very confident.''

Sir Slick returned home this week from a fruitless Melbourne campaign in which Racing Victoria vets ruled him out of the A$3 million Cox Plate on the morning of the race with a hoof injury.

He then ran last in the Gr I Mackinnon Stakes before the vets again ruled him out of the Gr I Emirates Stakes.

''They gave me a bloody rough time over there,'' said Nicholson, who trains in partnership with Paul Allbon.

''In the Mackinnon he just ran out of puff in the last 150m but missing the Cox Plate didn't help with that and was very disappointing.''

However, Nicholson had his confidence restored after Sir Slick galloped this week with Floyd Mullineaux in the saddle.

''Young Floyd rode him in work, and he got off and told me 'I have never ever seen Slick work like that'. He's flying out of his skin. He's back and as good as ever.''

While Bulginbaah's co-trainer Catherine Wilson was loathe to consider the Tauranga Stakes as a two-horse race, she said she was looking forward to her horse getting the chance to square the ledger with Sir Slick.

''It's a bit of a clash of the titans, the big boys,'' she said.

''My bloke is really, really well. I've been working him the opposite way around for the last fortnight and he loves it. I really think he can win. We're not going there to play tiddly winks, we're there to win.''

Starjo nine-year-old Bulginbaah, who has won $616,950 from his 69 starts, has only once previously raced right-handed, when he was desperately unlucky in finishing 11th in this year's Gr I Railway Handicap (1200m) at Ellerslie.

Last year's Tauranga Classic winner Samurai, Gr II Royal Stakes winner Alagant Satin and Listed Matamata Cup winner Elblitzem look the main dangers to the top pair.

The day's other feature, the $20,000 John Warren Insurance 3yo (1400m), looks a mini-trial for the Gr I Levin Classic (1600m) at Otaki on November 27, with Listed Sarten Memorial runner-up Finderskeepers taking on the talents of Prince Of Wales, One Swanstonstreet, Lamington Vegas, Haere Mai and Make A Wish.  

Domestic million dollar earners:
Princess Coup $2,948,150
Horlicks $1,708,270
Sir Slick $1,663,225
Castletown $1,377,555
Coniston Bluebird $1,309,500
Seachange $1,240,250
Xcellent $1,234,875
Mufhasa $1,153,937
Balmuse $1,091,575
Wahid $1,049,810
Spin Around $1,010,325
Tell A Tale $1,060,050

Winners of 20 races in NZ
Grey Way 50
Battle Eve 26
A Gordon For Me 26
Covered n Grey 24
Catering King 23
Ocean Guard 23
Sweeney Todd 22
Lord Zirito 21
Commissionaire 21
Chibuku 20
Mickeys Town 20
Vincere 20
Pinnacle 20
Sir Slick 20
Bulginbaah 20

- © Fairfax NZ News