Captains Mistress again shows sheer class in dominant Kaikoura Cup win

By Michael Guerin

Champion driver Cameron Hart admits he nearly cost Captains Mistress her national record win in the Kaikoura Cup on Monday.

And he says without his mistake at the start of the 2400m race she could have won by 30 or even 40m.

Captains Mistress gave the $1.28 backers a few nervous moments at the start of the race as she appeared to bobble and settle a clear last.

But the superstar New South Wales reinsman says it was actually his mistake.

“I thought it was a false start so I tried to restrain her, so that one is on me,” says Hart.

It mattered little though as Captains Mistress caught the back of the bunch and looped the field to get the lead off stablemate Minos with a lap to go. 

While she may have been having a good look around Kaikoura she cruised clear to beat Republican Party in a new national 2400m standing start mark, with Mo’Unga storming home from last for third.

Plenty of Kiwi trainers will be happy Captains Mistress isn’t heading to Addington next Tuesday for the Go Media New Zealand Trotting Cup even though they will still have to contend with her compatriots Leap To Fame and defending champion Kingman.

Captains Mistress could contest the NZ Free-For-All on the Friday of Cup week though which might be enough to put that race’s defending champion Leap To Fame off turning up for that sprint just three days after the Cup.

While Team Dalgety had to settle for second in the day’s pacing feature they got revenge on the Aussies with Tetrick in the South Bay Trotter’s Cup, although that win also came with a very strong Australian flavour.

Victorian mare Rockinwithattitude was the favourite but galloped twice off her back mark so was never a chance while everything went perfectly from Tetrick, who came from the one-one for the biggest win of his rapidly-improving career.

That led to some lovely post-race scenes as Trackside presenter Brittany Graham, who owns the four-year-old trotter, enjoyed the win on track with her parents, sister and family friends.

“It has been one of the best days of my life,” said Graham later.

The other feature of the day defied the racing pattern when Always Be Batman overcame getting pushed back to third last to fly home to win the NZBS Aged Classic.

Now trained by Team Dunn he was beautifully handled by junior driver Hayden Douglas and the style of the win suggests Always Be Batman hasn’t finished winning yet.