The West Coast’s best-known race cannot be run this year after wild pigs caused significant damage to the Kumara track, which has been unable to be repaired in time for its annual January meeting.
Racing will instead take place at Omoto and the Gold Nuggets will not be run for the second time in the past three years.
Racing away from the unique Kumara track could help New Zealand Cup runner-up Kaharau continue his fine season when he contests the Omoto Cup.
The Ken Rae and Krystal Williams-Tuhoro-trained 8yr-old has an outstanding record at Omoto.
“It is his home track at the moment and he has been first, second or third in every start there until the other day,” Rae said.
“He has gone good at Greymouth, but he has never gone any good at Kumara.”
Kaharau’s record at Omoto took a hit when he and rider Rohan Mudhoo were caught three wide throughout a similar race last Sunday.
Last weekend’s race was the horse’s first since his brilliant run of spring form culminated in his second behind Dee And Gee in the New Zealand Cup.
“I thought he was a wee bit more forward than what he was; he might have needed the run,” Rae said.
“I gave him a run along at Riccarton on the Thursday and he blew a wee bit. Until that last run I thought he was in the best form of his life.”
“He is 8 years old, but he has lost two years of maturity somewhere along the line — he has just grown another leg.”
The threat of switching to jumping has Kaharau in some of the best form of his career ahead of tomorrow’s 2000m feature.
“His jumping career is getting put on hold all the time,” Rae said. “He had one hurdle trial and he won that by a mile — Shaun Phelan just loves him.
“He and Emily Farr took him to the jumping trials for me. And that might have helped him; they had him up Brown’s farm and everywhere when he was with them for a month before he came home.”
Tomorrow’s race could provide an unlikely form reference for the New Zealand Cup.
“I am just trying to keep him down here, off the hard tracks up north until the Auckland Cup,” Rae said.
“That is the plan, but if we don’t get there we don’t get there.”
Central Districts trainer Kevin Myers will play a key role in the Omoto Cup when he starts three runners in Overtheriver, Shadow King and Zentangle.
Overtheriver ran second in the event Kaharau failed in last weekend, which was won by Lochan Ora for Southland trainers Kelvin and Aimee Tyler.
“It was a really good effort that day and he seems to have come through it well,” Kelvin Tyler told NZ Racing Desk.
“He had been a bit disappointing, but we freshened him up slightly. He travelled up really well and I was quietly confident with him.”
Lochan Ora is one of three runners in tomorrow’s race for the Tyler stable.
The father-and-daughter combination also have The Bumper and What’s Up Alf in the cup.
