Jockey talks his way to Cup win

1st Oct 2012

Cameron Lammas’ powers of persuasion were well appreciated by Matamata trainer Richard Coxon after his six-year-old Gurus Spirit (NZ) (Ishiguru) claimed the Remuera Fisheries Mitchelson Cup at Ellerslie.

The Rotorua-based jockey has been the mare’s regular rider and convinced connections to have a crack at the 2200 metre event in favour of the upcoming Matamata Cup over 1600 metres.

Gurus Spirit (NZ) (Ishiguru)

“I kept telling Richard to get her over more and more ground – she’s a tough mare,” Lammas said.

He gave her a good run near the pace and they ran the distance out strongly to account for Indikator (NZ) (Sandtrap), who had to give the winner five kilos, and Plan Ex (Planchet), whose effort was full of merit after a chequered run in the straight.

Gurus Spirit has now won six of her 23 starts and may have a run at Rotorua before a dislike of firm tracks forces her into a summer break. “There’s not much else around for her,” Coxon said.

By contrast, Leila Macdonald Handicap winner Demophon (NZ) (Howbaddouwantit) is in the early stages of a new preparation and he showed the benefit of a resuming outing at Wanganui with a tidy winning performance in the open sprint.

“He trialled up massively behind Ocean Park at Te Teko and needed his first-up run,” winning rider Christopher Dell said. “We got a beautiful trail throughout and the gap came and he handled the ground nicely.”

Finishing resolutely along the rails for Dell, Demophon scored the fifth win of his career and with twelve further placings he has rarely been far from the action.

“He’s up near 100 in the ratings now and at a tricky place in the weights,” trainer John Sargent said. “I’ll see if we keep him to sprints or go up to a mile.”

Demophon is nominated for the Coupland’s Bakeries Mile at Riccarton in November, which is also a race the runner-up Shuka (NZ) (Bachelor Duke) has been set for. He showed he was right on target with an encouraging finish and did himself no favours by laying in over the closing stages.

The final stages of the race were marred by interference, with third-placed Faraway Eyes and the favourite Civics Rock, fourth, both being badly tightened close to the line. Dell was given a six-day suspension for allowing Demophon to shift out and Danielle Johnson, on Shuka, received the same penalty for her mount’s inward movement. Apprentice Shohei Shirahama, on the sixth-placed Time Legend, was suspended for four days.