Spratt eyes a change of luck on Mufhasa

BY AIDAN RODLEY

Samantha Spratt is taking a simplistic approach to securing Gr I Mudgway Partsworld Stakes success aboard Mufhasa at Hastings tomorrow.

The Auckland jockey rode the Stephen McKee-trained Mufhasa into second place behind Tavistock in last year's 1400m weight-for-age sprint, having placed on the Richard Yuill-trained Prince Kaapstad, behind Fritzy Boy and Bulginbaah, a year earlier.

''Third, second, so I must be going to win it this year,'' Spratt said yesterday.

Spratt has been Mufhasa's regular jockey since she won the Gr II Coupland's Bakeries Mile on the Pentire gelding at Riccarton in November 2008.

She had ridden him before that, winning three times, but after the Coupland's Mufhasa has not raced in New Zealand without Spratt aboard and she has only missed two of his Australia starts too.

For that reason, Spratt is best qualified to know if the three-time Gr I winner will handle a rain-affected Hastings track for tomorrow's $200,000 feature.

She has ridden him to third placings in the Gr I George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill for the past two years, on a slow track this year and on a heavy track last year, and he has failed on slow tracks for last year's Windsor Park Plate at Hastings and this year's Telegraph Handicap at Trentham and Doomben 10,000.

Spratt admitted she was concerned about how Mufhasa would cope with a slow or heavy track tomorrow, saying the Australian wet tracks were probably not the best guide.

''If it was a decent track I would be quite confident because he's only been a stone's throw away from them in Sydney, against all their good horses, like Hot Danish and company.

''But now with the wetter track, he'll cop it to a certain degree but I really don't know. It depends how bad it gets.

''Wet tracks aren't as bad in Australia as they are here. Their wet tracks are nothing like ours. It's wet but not a boggy wet, not a really deep wet.

''He ran on a heavy track that day in Sydney but I'd say Saturday is going to be wetter. This is going to be one of the wettest tracks he's had to cop.''

Raced by David Archer, his partner Di Wright and his children Simon and Natalie, Mufhasa had a busy five-year-old season, racing at Hastings and Melbourne last spring, returning home to race at Ellerslie and Trentham in January, Te Rapa and Otaki in February, then again crossing the Tasman for the Sydney autumn carnival and Brisbane in the winter.

Trainer Stephen McKee had considered turning out the Waikato-bred gelding after his last-start placing in the Listed Glasshouse Handicap (1400m) at Caloundra last month but opted to keep him ticking over specifically for a tilt at the Mudgway.

A soft track has thrown a spanner into the works but having kept the six-year-old up for this race, McKee said he might as well give the horse his chance.

''He's all ready to go. He's fit and well and I'm happy with the horse,'' McKee said.

''He's one who probably needed the track better than what it's going to be ... but I've kept him in work since Brisbane for this race so we've got to have a go.''

Spratt was still not prepared to rule Mufhasa out.

''Smart horses, they can cop anything but I'm a little bit worried,'' Spratt said.

''He's fresh-up and you wonder whether he'll have the same turn of foot or if he'll just whack away a bit on a wet track. He's not a horse who steps onto a track and doesn't like it so hopefully he just handles it well enough.''

A winner of 12 of his 36 starts for more than $1.4 million in stakes, Mufhasa has drawn barrier two and is likely to press forward to sit on the pace, though Spratt was amused by the irony of an inside draw.

''I said to Sticko [McKee] I bet we get a good draw on Saturday after all the bad ones we got in Australia,'' Spratt said.

''We couldn't get an inside draw when we wanted one over there but you probably wouldn't have minded a wide draw so much for Saturday. You just don't know what the track will be look by then.

''There doesn't look like there's a lot of speed. Run Like Al, Bulginbaah and maybe Jacowils will be thereabouts and they are probably going to be in a similar situation as me - quite happy to lead if they like or else just take a sit.

''He's got the speed to get to the lead but if something wants to go crazy and wants to lead, I'll be happy to take a sit. He'll be thereabouts. If no one wants to lead up, I'll take the speed, otherwise we'll take a sit.''

TAB bookmakers have Mufhasa on the second line of betting at $6 behind $4.50 favourite Wall Street.

Spratt is aiming to beat the odds.

''He's a good little horse and hopefully he can do it again for us.''

- © Fairfax NZ News