Mark Oulaghan has moved on from the disappointing outcome of the Great Northern Hurdle (4200m) and is looking forward to an unexpected opportunity with Berry The Cash.
The Awapuni trainer has been around the jumping game long enough to not get too despondent when bad luck comes knocking, as it did last weekend at Te Rapa.
Berry The Cash had been unbeaten in five lead-up outings over hurdles, including victory in the Grand National Hurdles (4200m) before he was badly hampered by a fallen rival in the Northern and dislodged rider Portia Matthews.
The son of Jakkelberry had also won a flat event in July at Waverley and will return there on Sunday for a crack at the NZB Airfreight Road To The Jericho (3200m).
“He seems really well so we’ll push on and give him his chance,” Oulaghan said.
“I’d like to try him over two miles on the flat, it’s a good opportunity seeing as how he missed out last Sunday.
“I didn’t think the field looked that strong on the noms and he’s a handy horse in the right grade, so it will be interesting.”
However, even with the right result at Waverley, Oulaghan has all but ruled out Berry The Cash venturing across the Tasman for The Jericho Cup (4600m) to be run at Warrnambool on November 29.
“You could say it’s Plan B and even if he won the chances of him going to Australia are pretty remote,” he said.
Oulaghan will also have a strong winning chance at Wanganui on Saturday with his promising stayer Pinkerton to run in the Nufarm/Property Brokers Handicap (2040m).
“He’s a good little horse, he’s just not very big and in the grade he’s in he has to carry a bit of weight,” he said.
“The claim will help him and then we’ll look at running him in a few of those provincial open handicaps. That will suit him better when he drops back to 54kg.”
The Niagara gelding has been allotted 61.5kg, which will be reduced by 3kg with the booking of apprentice Liam Kauri.
Pinkerton was successful at Woodville and Trentham to take his tally to five wins from 22 appearances before time off and returned for a midfield finish at Wanganui at the end of last month.
“He wasn’t very strong as a young horse so we left him alone and he started late so he hasn’t done a lot for a seven-year-old, hopefully he can do a bit over the next few months,” Oulaghan said.
Meanwhile, star jumper West Coast is enjoying a deserved spell following a campaign that netted him his third Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) and second Great Northern Steeplechase (6500m).
“He’s come through it all pretty good and seems to recover very well,” Oulaghan said.
Overseas opportunities beckon West Coast, although options have yet to be seriously considered.
“I still have to discuss it with the owners, at this stage the logical step would probably be to look a bit further afield, but we haven’t got anything specific in mind,” Oulaghan said.