Wheeler Holds Trumps for Carnival Bonus

Central Districts trainer John Wheeler seems to be holding all the aces in the form of Our Saint and Elle's Aura, for the $100,000 Carnival Bonus to be contested on 28 February at Ellerslie.

The bonus is available to all graduates of the 2008 Carnival Sale who paid up for the incentive race which will take place on Derby Day, as the New Zealand Bloodstock Carnival Sale Bonus 2YO (1200m).

There are fifty-six horses eligible for the race, with the first of these past the post securing the $100,000 bonus. Last year the Murray Baker trained Fully Fledged (Align - Fledged, by Bluebird) claimed the cash by running second to the non-eligible Sanjura (Sandtrap), before going on to victory in the Group 1 ARC Diamond Stakes for two-year-olds.

Of this year's eligible two-year-olds, twenty-six have been named, twelve have raced, and two have won including John Wheeler's Our Saint (My Halo - Ashberg, by The Jogger) and the Joanne Hillis trained Clapton (Ekraar - Lady Tess, by Slavic).

Our Saint only just missed out on a start in the $1,000,000 Karaka Million on 25 January after an impressive performance to score victory at Trentham over 1000m on January 19, in the hands of Michael Walker. Third to him that day on debut was Elle's Aura (My Halo - Elle Taine, by Centaine) who shares many similarities to Our Saint.

She is also trained by John Wheeler, is also by South Island speed sire My Halo (Southern Halo), and she was in fact sold in the same draft as Our Saint at the 2008 Carnival Sale, the offering of Alan Jones and Edwina Morris' Berkley Stud. John Wheeler purchased both horses, spending $55,000 on Our Saint and $10,000 on Elle's Aura.

John Wheeler is very happy with both his charges. "They will both head towards the race, with Elle's Aura starting tomorrow at Avondale, while Our Saint will also have another start before the 28 February feature".

Currently the only other eligible graduates for the Carnival Bonus to have won or placed are both trained in the South Island. They are Riccarton Park race winner Clapton, and the twice placed Xcelme (One Cool Cat - Floating World, by Fuji Kiseki).

Ross Beckett is currently considering the event for Xcelme, while Joanne Hillis' Clapton will not be making the journey as he is currently in the spelling paddock.

Other contenders to have come out of the woodwork thus far include Putinka (St Petersburg - Tres Vite, by Centro) for trainer Richard Otto who will seek to gain some valuable rating points to help secure a spot in the Carnival Bonus race when he lines up in the Fagan Ford 2YO (1000m) at Wairarapa tomorrow.

Click here for a full list of two-year-olds eligible for the 2009 $100,000 Carnival Bonus.