Australian Horses Set to Make Wellington Cup Carnival a Thriller
Wellington Racing Club chief executive, David Jewell, doesn’t care what Santa has in store for him, his Christmas
present arrived today with advice that MAF has okayed Australian horses competing in the Club’s Wellington Cup Carnival.
Seven Australian horses are registered for the Club’s first $1million race, the Telegraph Handicap, to be run at
Trentham on 17 January at the Music, Wine and Racing Festival. Among the horses is champion Australian sprinter Takeover
Target, the winner of more than $6 million in prizemoney.
Takeover Target’s Australian trainer Joe Janiak is one his way back to Melbourne today from Perth, West Australia, where
Takeover Target added to his bank balance with two more impressive race wins. Having previously raced in England, Japan,
Singapore and Hong Kong in recent years a quick trip across the Tasman to New Zealand for the globe trotting Australian
sprinter is not going to be a big challenge.
Australian horses are also likely to feature in the $350,000 Century City Developments Wellington Cup with four
registered and another two in the $250,000 Thorndon Mile, also to be run on 24 January.
“We are currently working with airfeight and horse transport companies to make sure that there is capacity to bring over
and transport these top Australian horses.
“There is a lot of work to be done in the next few weeks as owners and trainers commit and ready their horses for the
flight over the Tasman.
“This is great news for racing at Trentham – Santa’s going to have to come up with something pretty special to beat
this,” says David Jewell.
ENDS