Master Fin (NZ) Earns Jericho Cup Spot

A shot at the A$300,000 Jericho Cup (4600m) looms on the horizon for Master Fin (NZ) (Nom du Jeu) after an upset victory in the $32,500 NZB Airfreight Road to the Jericho Heat 1 (3210m) at New Plymouth.

Saturday’s race was the first of two qualifying heats staged in New Zealand, with the second heat to be held at Riccarton Park on October 24. The winner of each race receives a guaranteed start in the Jericho Cup at Warrnambool on 29 November.

As sponsors, NZB Airfreight offers a $5,000 equine airfreight credit for the winner of each qualifying race, should they decide to travel across the Tasman and contest the Jericho Cup.

A shot at the Jericho Cup would cap a remarkable comeback story for Master Fin, who spent three years on the sidelines after injuring a tendon in his victory in the $40,000 Summer Cup (2400m) at Trentham in January of 2016.

The nine-year-old gelding defied 60-to-one odds on Saturday, showing superior stamina and surging to a half-length victory over Hi I’m Nikkita (NZ) (He’s Remarkable), with another two and a quarter lengths back to third-placed Junior (NZ) (Nom du Jeu).

Bred and raced by Graeme Martin, Master Fin is trained at Awapuni by Mark Oulaghan. He has now had 22 starts for four wins, four placings and $72,115 in stakes.

“To be quite honest I wasn’t sure just how he would go today, but he was good enough to win a Summer Cup earlier on in his career before he got injured,” Oulaghan told NZ Racing Desk.

“He was off the scene for ages after he hurt a tendon when he won that race, and he did have good form around that time.

“We put him out for a spell, then got him in and worked him up before we put him out again.

“Touch wood, he has been okay since he came back about a year ago, but he hadn’t won a race until today.

“He probably fits the bill for the Jericho Cup, but I will have to speak to Graeme about that. I would think he will be keen, but we will just have to see how things pan out before any final decisions are made.”

The Jericho Cup is open to Australian and New Zealand-bred horses only, commemorating the light horse involvement in World War I and run on the fourth Sunday after the Group One Melbourne Cup (3200m). The original Jericho Cup was run in 1918 over three miles through desert sands. Its 100th anniversary was marked with the introduction of the modern Jericho Cup two years ago.

This year marks the first year that New Zealand will have two guaranteed starters for the Jericho Cup, which will be held on Sunday 29 November 2020 at Warrnambool.