Mate against mate isn’t confined to State of Origin battles between Queensland and NSW.
The friendship between New Zealand-trained mares High Kin and Zennista and their connections will be momentarily suspended when they clash in Saturday’s Caloundra Cup.
The bond between the mares has led to some good-natured ribbing between High Kin’s trainer David Greene and Bruce Herd, who is supervising the Brisbane campaign of Zennista for trainer Lisa Latta.
“I was joking with Bruce the other day that if Zennista’s clear at the top of the straight she’ll probably be looking around and waiting to see where her mate is,” he said.
“I hope she does. We might be able to say `hi’ on the way past.”
Greene said High Kin will be better suited stepping up to 2400 metres in the Caloundra Cup after her fast-finishing second to Anagold in the Ipswich Cup (2150m) on June 15.
“She’s been crying out for the mile and a half her whole life and the roomier track is going be another advantage for us,” he said.
“At Ipswich she was definitely struggling around the bends and she was going to run seventh or eighth but her last 100 metres was very good and she made up ground in real hurry.”
High Kin has thrived since the Ipswich Cup.
“It’s her first trip away from home and we were worried that she might turn into a skeleton,” he said.
“But in the warm weather here she’s really bloomed, eaten everything and looking better than ever.”
Greene said High Kin lost concentration on the home turn in the Ipswich Cup and will race in blinkers on Saturday.
“She’s great at chasing horses but she’s had a tendency to get a little bit lost when she’s out in the open,” he said.
“I’d hate to see her come around the turn on Saturday, race clear with 200 metres to go and look around waiting for something to run her down.”
High Kin’s performance at the Sunshine Coast will determine whether she backs up the following week in the Queensland Cup (3200m) at Eagle Farm.
