Mark Oulaghan is banking on the fresh legs of Upper Cut to give him his first victory in the Great Northern Steeplechase on Saturday.
The Meadow Fresh-sponsored event is one of the few prestige jumping races to have eluded the Awapuni trainer, whose trademark patience has been evident with his latest Ellerslie candidate.
Upper Cut won his first two starts over the big fences at Wanganui and Riccarton two winters ago before he was side-lined by injury.
“He had a crook tendon and he had last year off,” Oulaghan said. “He’s come back well and he can develop into a pretty good horse.”
Upper Cut’s Great Northern preparation hasn’t gone entirely to script with a slipped saddle forcing him to be pulled out of the Koral Steeplechase before he made good ground late for fourth in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup.
“He got home well and I’m pretty pleased with him,” Oulaghan said. “He’s one of the fresher runners in the race – he hasn’t exactly had a busy season.”
The son of Yamanin Vital will be ridden by Isaac Lupton, who has won the Northern four times – three with the Ellerslie specialist Hypnotize (2007, 2008, 2010) and on the dashing Rangatira 12 months ago.
While Upper Cut is a lightly-tried jumper, Oulaghan’s other big race candidate Harvest The Gold is at the opposite end of the scale with the wily veteran back to defend his Schweppes Great Northern Hurdles crown.
Also a former KS Browne and Hawke’s Bay Hurdles winner, he was fifth in the Wellington Hurdles three runs back and was then given a run on the flat before he finished a long way off Just Got Home at Ellerslie last time out.
“He was pretty disappointing, but the track was quite holding,” Oulaghan said. “He likes it better or looser and he gave up. He’s getting on a bit and it just didn’t suit him.
“He was a fair way from the winner and it would have to be a form reversal, but I think he can bounce back on the right track.”
