Pentathlon
Race Images Palmerston North
John Wheeler is happy to be swimming against the tide with his Gr.1 Auckland Cup contender Pentathlon.
Pentathlon was the only leading contender for the Barfoot & Thompson-sponsored cup who did not race last weekend.
Seven horses are at $10 or shorter for the Ellerslie feature and the other six all ran in the Gr.2 Avondale Cup (2400m).
Pentathlon has not raced since his narrow defeat in the Gr.2 Wellington Cup, with Wheeler happy to wait till the Nathans Memorial (2200m), on the opening day of the Ellerslie carnival.
"That has always been the plan," Wheeler said. "I thought it was a softer option than the Avondale Cup. And when I have a horse running over two miles, I like to give them a race a week or 10 days before. It also gives him a look at Ellerslie.
"He hasn't turned a hair since Trentham."
Pentathlon has proved that he can back up well, recording two wins, both over 2500m, within four days at the New Zealand Cup meeting.
The four-year-old was a slow learner when he began racing and never finished within six lengths of the winner at his first six starts.
He has been a different horse this term, with four wins and two seconds from his last six starts, with his run of form beginning with a win, at 25-1, in a rating 65 1800m at New Plymouth in October.
"He's a very good horse and always was," Wheeler said. "But we couldn't get him over ground early on, because he had no ringcraft. He used to do everything wrong.
"But he's not a difficult horse to ride now." – NZ Racing Desk
Pentathlon was the only leading contender for the Barfoot & Thompson-sponsored cup who did not race last weekend.
Seven horses are at $10 or shorter for the Ellerslie feature and the other six all ran in the Gr.2 Avondale Cup (2400m).
Pentathlon has not raced since his narrow defeat in the Gr.2 Wellington Cup, with Wheeler happy to wait till the Nathans Memorial (2200m), on the opening day of the Ellerslie carnival.
"That has always been the plan," Wheeler said. "I thought it was a softer option than the Avondale Cup. And when I have a horse running over two miles, I like to give them a race a week or 10 days before. It also gives him a look at Ellerslie.
"He hasn't turned a hair since Trentham."
Pentathlon has proved that he can back up well, recording two wins, both over 2500m, within four days at the New Zealand Cup meeting.
The four-year-old was a slow learner when he began racing and never finished within six lengths of the winner at his first six starts.
He has been a different horse this term, with four wins and two seconds from his last six starts, with his run of form beginning with a win, at 25-1, in a rating 65 1800m at New Plymouth in October.
"He's a very good horse and always was," Wheeler said. "But we couldn't get him over ground early on, because he had no ringcraft. He used to do everything wrong.
"But he's not a difficult horse to ride now." – NZ Racing Desk