Semi-retired veterinarian Ian Shaw has dabbled in training thoroughbreds for the past 42 years with limited success, but he had his day in the hot Canterbury sun Saturday when winning the New Zealand Cup with tough mare Hoorang.It was a royal pay day, too, with the casually dressed Shaw being presented with the Cup trophy by Princess Anne, guest of honour at the Canterbury Jockey Club's meeting.Shaw, 73, called that a great thrill.Winning the Cup with a mare who was written off by most because h

Semi-retired veterinarian Ian Shaw has dabbled in training thoroughbreds for the past 42 years with limited success, but he had his day in the hot Canterbury sun Saturday when winning the New Zealand Cup with tough mare Hoorang.

It was a royal pay day, too, with the casually dressed Shaw being presented with the Cup trophy by Princess Anne, guest of honour at the Canterbury Jockey Club's meeting.

Shaw, 73, called that a great thrill.

Winning the Cup with a mare who was written off by most because her best form was on wet tracks was a big thrill as well.

Shaw rued the fact he was at ground level and didn't have a view of the race, except for the last 50 metres, as apprentice Kelly Myers urged his mare home half a head in front of the fast-finishing Young Centaur.

"We proved the prophets wrong with that," chuckled Shaw, who now trains Hoorang and one other horse at Wanganui.

The win rocked punters, with Hoorang paying $47 for the win.

Many would not have given her a chance on the firm track, with the race book showing six starts on good tracks for no placings. She won at her last start on a heavy track at Trentham.

But Shaw was confident she would do well and said the track was firm when she won at Hastings last year.

"And I backed her accordingly," he said.

"She's shown she can act on all sorts of ground."

Myers, 25, was not as confident as Shaw was beforehand, saying she would have preferred a track with some moisture, but she had no doubts about the six-year-old mare's ability to stay the 3200m.

"I knew she would get the distance, I had a feeling she might be in there," said Myers, in her third year of riding and apprenticed to her uncle Kevin Myers.

"She was always travelling on the bit and turning for home she was travelling so well I was very, very confident.

"I had clear running and when I asked her for an effort she found for me, but the post could not come up quick enough."

It was Myers' biggest thrill in racing and she said it was an honour to be presented with a trophy by the Princess Royal.

They had a good chat on the podium and Myers revealed later the princess had been friendly.

"She said it was good to see so many female jockeys riding over here and being successful," she said.

Young Centaur tried hard, mounting a run from midfield, but the Wellington Cup winner just could not find enough to peg back Hoorang.

Vickezzchardonnay was a long neck away in third after leading early while Le Alto was an honest fourth ahead of Halls, The Kiss and the favourite Stand Tall.