Etah James

Last year's Sydney Cup winner Etah James has been retired.  

Part-owner Mark Lupton said the mare he and wife Cath bred and raced had suffered a setback ahead of her title defence.

�She was going to have another crack at the Sydney Cup and she was in work on a water walker in Melbourne but a sarcoid started growing and she had to go back to Sydney for an operation,� Lupton said. 

Etah James won the Sydney Cup as an $14 chance for trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace with Glen Boss aboard.

The mare had previously been trained to Australian stakes success by Matt Cumani, while Lupton had also trained the daughter of Raise The Flag during her time in New Zealand, including a G2 Avondale Cup (2400m) placing and fourth in the G1 Auckland Cup (3200m).

Have been a fan of this mare since she first came over from NZ a few years ago but wasn’t on her today.

Really thought a big race win had passed her by as a 7yo. But congrats to connections for persisting with her. She’s certainly a good old fashioned Kiwi stayer.

Well well well....she just won the Sydney Cup

Foxseal wrote: Carioca wrote: I wonder if part owner Mark Lupton is any relation to Snowy Lupton of Kiwi fame.? Definitely related. I think Mark Lupton (part owner & breeder) is Snowy Lupton’s nephew.

Thanks Foxseal, when I think of Snowy the stallion Blarney Kiss comes to mind.

Immediate target is the Bagot on Jan 1

Will have a flat rating of about 87 after today, so would be asked to carry about 77-78 kgs in next year's Jericho.

Superb win today

And no, I didn’t back her


Aiming for the Jericho 2020

A session with an equine chiropractor this week could be a step closer to realising an Auckland Cup dream with Australian Group 3 winner Etah James.

Etah James won six of her 15 starts and more than $260,000 in prizemoney for Ballarat trainer Matt Cumani and is now back in New Zealand with her original trainer Mark Lupton.

Lupton, based at Matamata, co-bred and part-owns the daughter of Raise The Flag.

The six-year-old mare holds a nomination for the Group 1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie on March 9 but Lupton is taking it one step at a time with the talented stayer.

“We hope to get to the Auckland Cup with her, but it’s a longshot,” Lupton said.

“There are still other good staying races like the Rotorua Cup and the Hawke’s Bay Cup if she doesn’t get there.

“She’s a good stayer, but things didn’t work out for her in the spring. She lost her form so we decided to bring her home. If she comes up we’ll try her then she can go to stud next season.

“I’ll just tick her over and see if she still wants to race.”

Etah James has shown in her work at Matamata that she is still keen to compete.

“She’s been working well, but she’s got a few shoulder and neck issues so we’ve got the chiropractor coming to look at her this week,” Lupton said.

“Hopefully he can sort it out. I’m hopeful of getting her to a trial here at Matamata in a couple of weeks.”

Lupton and his wife, Cath, bred and race Etah James with long-time friends, Gary Howes (a London lawyer) and Sydney businessman Terry Reid.

The same group enjoyed eight wins with dual Group Three winner Tickle, a sister to Etah James’ dam, Etah.

Tickle’s wins included the Group 3 Labour Day Cup (2020m) in Brisbane, but she broke down two starts later in the 2005 Group 1 Doomben Cup (2200m) and could not be saved.

Lupton educated and trialled Etah James before sending her to Cumani as a four-year-old.

She made her Australian debut with a sixth at Cranbourne in April 2017 then went on to win five of her first seven starts, emerging as an up-and-coming stayer with four of those wins being from 2000m to 2420m (at Caulfield).

She then finished a sound second to Parthesia (also by Raise The Flag) in the Listed Bagot Handicap (2800m) at Flemington on New Year’s Day last year and two starts later she was a convincing winner of the Group 3 Lord Reims Stakes (2600m) at Morphettville.

“She led all the way in the Lord Reims and won it so well,” Lupton said.

“We had high hopes for her this spring, but everything went wrong.”

Her best placings in her last five starts for Cumani were a couple of sevenths and she struck an unsuitable heavy track when eighth in the Sydney St Leger (2600m) at Randwick last October before her farewell performance when second-last at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day.

While Etah James has returned home, Lupton and his partners have his He’s Remarkable half-brother Redeemer with Cumani.

“I gave him one trial and he was just beaten then I sent him over to Matt,” Lupton said.

“He’s only had one start over there, but he shows a lot of promise.”


NZ Racing Desk

Accepted for the Colin Stephen Qlty 2400m at Rosehill on Saturday.

Looks like smart placement by Matt Cumani. Hope he’s rewarded for taking her up to Sydney with a win by the nice mare.

Not going to Mornington now?

She had her first start in April last year and has only had 10 races.  The trainer has placed her pretty well perfectly, but is probably also trying to find out how good she actually is.  The Adelaide Cup, attractive as it is, was never in the plans.

That is most disappointing to hear she’s not going to the Adelaide Cup.

A time honoured $400,000 Group 2 race at her mercy......but going to a Listed country cup instead

Gee if she races like she did the other day she has no chance. Needs to lift! Good luck

Carioca wrote: Got a bit of time for this young man but I think he may have erred slightly, 5 weeks without a gallop then into a 2100 and very short in the market, then again we are not privy to all the circumstances, hope she pulled up sound.

Stewards report interesting, lay inwards in the straight, endoscopic report revealed
bled internally, EIPH, vet clearance required, hmmmm ...can you really go 6 weeks without a gallop ( including a week in the paddock) Jan1- Feb14 and start 5/4 on.

Pre every race last prep, Cumani stated she's an ultra good doing mare who needs a power of work & racing, not once but at least 4 times that I heard. Anyone expecting her to win y'day had rocks in their head.