Winter Cup favourite prepares well for its toughest task
THE Winter Cup at Riccarton Park is typically an even betting field where the favourite is paying around $6, but New York Minute has attracted a stack of support from punters.
The Ilone Kelly-trained five-year-old was installed as the $3.80 favourite at Sportsbet.com.au after the withdrawal of Our Bandit and with only three runners at single figure odds, punters are expecting the Winter Cup to be a cut and dried affair.
New Plymouth-based Kelly is confident her charge will run well after it fought on nicely behind Longchamp last start in the Opunake Cup.
“We were lucky (last start) as it was her home track and she was only out of her box for about half an hour,” Kelly told HorseBetting.com.au. “She recovered very well.”
New York Minute has done its fair share of travelling throughout its 19-start career, but the travel won’t be an issue according to Kelly.
“She went to Auckland then we flew her down, so it wasn’t a biggie,” she said. “It was five hours to Auckland and she travelled down Tuesday.”
The wet track specialist has had seven starts on a heavy surface for two wins and five placings. With a wet track expected at Riccarton on Saturday, conditions should suit the daughter of Iffraaj.
There is concern with drawing the inside barrier as Riccarton can get choppy along the rail, but Kelly plans to play its racing tactics by ear.
“It’ll be pretty sticky and a survival of the fittest,” Kelly said. “I don’t know if the inside will be the worst place to be, but later in the day that might change.
“She loves the rail, so we’ll have to wait and see as the day goes on.”
New York Minute has only been tested at the mile on one occasion – running third behind Gypsy Fair at Awapuni, and Kelly is showing no signs of concern about it seeing out the trip.
“She saw the mile out at Palmerston North and that’s quite a hard mile,” Kelly said. “You’d like to think she’d see it out and she’s had plenty of racing, so she should be pretty solid.”
120th Winter Cup betting market
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