Culminate sets sights on Stakes

TRISH DUNELL

BLACK BEAUTY: Culminate will round out her Gr I New Zealand Breeders' Stakes preparation in tomorrow's $20,000 Veloce Bella 1400 at Te Rapa.

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Stephen McKee isn't having any regrets.

After all, how was he to know that Melbourne trainer Peter Moody would withdraw Typhoon Tracy from tomorrow's Gr I A$600,000 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill in reaction to her receiving 61kg for the 1500m mares handicap.

McKee took his Gr I-winning mare Culminate to Rosehill for last year's Coolmore and had the misfortune to run into Typhoon Tracy, who had to work overtime before edging past the New Zealand mare for a half-length win.

Culminate carried 56kg; Typhoon Tracy was on the 51kg minimum.

Culminate will run tomorrow but the $20,000 Veloce Bella 1400 at Te Rapa is a far cry from the opening day of the Sydney autumn carnival.

''We just decided not to go for the Coolmore this year,'' McKee said.

''We decided to stay here and concentrate on the [New Zealand] Breeders' Stakes. Now Typhoon Tracy hasn't paid up for the Coolmore but you can't foresee those sort of things happening.

''We did consider going [to Sydney] but it is a handicap race and she would have been up to 57 or 58kg again, and giving a lot of smart younger ones weight so that's why we thought the Breeders' Stakes would be the better option this year.''

As she was campaigning in Sydney, Culminate missed last year's Gr I $200,000 New Zealand Breeders' Stakes (1600m) at Te Aroha but she did contest the 2008 race, finishing second to Special Mission, beaten a half-head.

She has since secured a Gr I win in last year's Otaki-Maori Weight-For-Age (1600m) and also placed four times at Gr I level, including last year's Coolmore, as well as winning both the Gr II Rich Hill Mile at Ellerslie and the Gr II Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1400m) at Pukekohe last year.

In all, Culminate has won 10 of her 31 starts for stakes earnings of $712,000, only missing a cheque on five occasions.

McKee has freshened the Richard Moore-bred and owned Elnadim six-year-old mare since her last start seventh in the Gr I Thorndon Mile at Trentham seven weeks ago when her saddle slipped and she was unable to be fully tested.

''She's had a bit of a breather around the stables. She had a couple of weeks off but she stayed at the stables because she one of those mares that doesn't do that great when she's turned out in a big paddock.

''She's just stayed there and done light work. She hasn't done a lot of fast work but that shouldn't be an excuse. We're using this race as a leadup to the Breeders' but she's quite well and forward all the same.

''The 58kg is a big weight for her because she's not very big - in fact she's small - but three-quarters of the field look like stayers just starting off, so she'll be pretty hard to beat, you'd think.''

McKee said he favoured tomorrow's Te Rapa race over the 1200m open handicap at Tauranga next weekend, preferring the three-week gap before the Te Aroha fillies and mares' feature on April 10.

''And this one doesn't look that hard, to be fair. She should go pretty close. You've got to like a horse like Sanjeev, who always goes good races at Te Rapa, but I expect her to go a top race. She goes well fresh,'' McKee said.

Danielle Johnson rides Culminate tomorrow, with Leith Innes getting first refusal for Te Aroha, though he also has first dibs on stablemate Boundless for the same race.

McKee also has a strong hand in two of tomorrow's Trentham features with Adaline out to emulate 2008 winner Boundless in the Gr I $300,000 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) and Mr Charlie contesting the Listed $45,000 New Zealand St Leger (2500m) with Innes booked for both rides.

Gr II Royal Stakes winner Adaline could only manage sixth in the Listed Sunline Vase (2100m) at Ellerslie last week but McKee said there was a genuine excuse for that failure and rated the Court Of Jewels filly on a par with Boundless when she won.

''She's really well,'' McKee said.

''The run last week has improved her quite a bit. She lost a front shoe which didn't help. She was quite tender in her foot too so I think she'll be a much better horse on Saturday.

''The field is probably quite a bit stronger than it looked like being two weeks ago. It's shaped up like a pretty good field by the look of it.

''I wouldn't say there's a hell of a lot between her and Boundless. Boundless may have had a bit more turn of foot in her sprint races early on but Adaline did better than Boundless in the Eight Carat and the Royal Stakes.

''I'm expecting a big run from her.''

- © Fairfax NZ News