Southland star U May Cullect ticked two firsts with another crushing win at Ascot Park yesterday to keep his unbeaten race record intact.
The Kirstin Barclay and Paul Ellis-trained 5yr-old not only easily handled his first standing start, but smashed his rivals by 5½ lengths in his first start past 2200m.
Barclay produced another pinpoint drive behind the exciting gelding in the 2700m Bluff Cup, waiting until the 500m until she asked U May Cullect for an effort.
Once he wound into stride, his rivals had no answer.
"You still don't feel like you are going fast,'' Barclay said.
"It sounds a bit silly, but he just does it so easy. When I started mooching around to be parked, I thought I better get moving, because he felt like he was walking.''
U May Cullect has shot up the grades so quickly he is effectively an open-class pacer
so a shot at the New Zealand Cup is a possibility.
"I can't wait to go over with two miles [3200m] with him because he just falls asleep,'' Barclay said.
"I really think he will thrive over the two-mile trip.''
U May Cullect's excellent beginning yesterday gave his trainers confidence he could be targeted at any standing-start feature in the spring.
The listed Uncut Gems for 4yr-old and older pacers at Addington on June 14 will be his next target.
U May Cullect stopped the race clock at 55.8sec for the final 800m and 27.2sec and for the final 400m. Those times are taken from the leading horse and as the pacer was behind runners, he has run faster than those sectionals suggest.
