 It was almost a case of déjà vu for the Strapped For Cash camp as they watched their smart winter gallop race away to one of the most convincing Cornwall Handicap wins at Ellerslie today.Strapped For Cash (Michelle Wenn) cruising to victory in today's Ellerslie feature. Photo: Kenton Wright, Race Images.
Revelling in the very heavy ground, Strapped For Cash worked to the lead in the early stages and was always travelling like a winner. In fact the only threat to him within the last 600 metres was Indikator, whose bid for victory was short-lived as Strapped For Cash ploughed through the mud to kick clear for a nine-length triumph.
So strung out was the opposition that the third placegetter, The Strutter, was 12 lengths behind runner-up Indikator, and there was a gap of two lengths to fourth-placed favourite El Perez, who battled from the rear, and the last horse, Prized Touch, was 66 and three-quarter lengths from the winner.
"It reminded me a lot of how he won the Taumarunui Cup last year," said Dave Smyth, who trains Strapped For Cash and is a co-breeder and part-owner of the D'Cash six-year-old.
"We were a bit lucky with the rain because that's what he needed.
"It came about an hour before the race and made the track perfect for him.
"When he went past the winning post the first time I thought he'd win it.
"He was travelling so well and loving the ground."
Strapped For Cash credited Smyth with his most important training success when he won last year's Listed $80,000 Hibiscus Painters Taumarunui Cup (2100m) at Te Rapa and that day he was also out on his own over the final stages, scoring by six and a half lengths.
Strapped For Cash has been regularly ridden by Michelle Wenn, who was confident the gelding was ready for a bold showing today after two leadup runs, including a last-start fourth to Black Panther at Gate Pa over 1600 metres, a distance far short of his best.
Strapped For Cash's win today, his eighth from 23 starts and fourth from five heavy track appearances, rekindled memories of his dam, Elfa Leather, who was raced by a partnership which included Smyth.
Trained by Ray and Sharon Johnson at Matamata, Elfa Leather won five races and set a record for the slowest 1575-metre time (2:2.58) when scoring at Ellerslie in August 1995.
Elfa Leather was the reason Smyth, a Te Aroha stockbuyer, took out his trainers licence six years, mainly to train her foals.
Strapped For Cash's half-brother, Luck's A Fortune, credited Smyth with his first training success when scoring at Te Aroha on June 9, 2004 and a month later Smyth was successful with Not A Word (from the broodmare Valiant Dream) at Avondale.
Smyth has three horses at the racing stage at present, the others being Luck's A Fortune and Not A Word's half-brother Hold The Fort, who was a winner at Matamata earlier this month.
Strapped For Cash, who fractured his cannonbone earlier in his career, is raced by Smyth along with his wife, Kate, his brother, Phillip, and his parents Nick and Ron.
Strapped For Cash is again being set for the Taumarunui Cup in late July, but beforehand he will start in the Listed $65,000 Amcor Kiwifruit Cup (2170m) at Gate Pa on June 20.
"He'll need another run between times so we might go down to Trentham," said Smyth.
Foot note:
Strapped For Cash was foaled at Brighthill Farm, and when he fractured his cannonbone two years ago he was boxed here at Brighthill for several months before resuming back into work. Its a massive thrill to see him go on and win two Cup races after his fracture, showing true belief in the horse by one of his biggest fan, his part owner: Philip!!
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