Megablast set for Caloundra Cup after missing Brisbane Cup

THE one thing Tiley knows will swing the scales in favour of Megablast today is the drenching Corbould Park copped this week, with 51mm having fallen there.

TRAINER: Trainer Nigel Tiley. Picture: Vince Caligiuri

RACING: Kiwi trainer Nigel Tiley concedes the setback Megablast suffered leading up the Brisbane Cup is a tiny worry, but fancies the mud-loving grey stayer can still overcome the mishap in today's Caloundra Cup.

Tiley rarely travels horses to Australia and is hoping Megablast can give him a rare feature Aussie success in today's $175,000 Cup.

Megablast burst into Brisbane Cup calculations with a tough third to Egg Tart in the O'Shea Stakes at Caloundra on June 2, but a mishap meant he failed to take his place in that race.

"He got cast in his box. He knocked a sesamoid and got a bit of a haematoma on it and we had to treat him, so we couldn't run in the Brisbane Cup," Tiley said.

"It just took us a day or two to get it right.

"It's not ideal. You like to think you're going into a mile and a half race with a couple of runs under your belt, but he's a horse that races quite well fresh and he hasn't missed any work as such. I'm comfortable with where he's at.

"He ran fourth in the Auckland Cup off a similar break. He's pretty clean winded.

"He was a fit horse when he came over here, so he hasn't lost a lot by not being able to run in the Brisbane Cup, but as I said, it's not ideal.

"I was always going to stay for this and then there's the Queensland Cup in the middle of July. That will be his target after this."

Megablast finished alongside betting rival Tradesman in the O'Shea and meets that horse on 1kg better terms today, with Tradesman having won the Ipswich Cup before placing in last week's Tattersall's Cup.

The one thing Tiley knows will swing the scales in favour of Megablast today is the drenching Corbould Park copped this week, with 51mm having fallen on the course.

"That's what he's been waiting for. That's definitely in his favour," he said.

"He's a very good horse on rain affected going. Even with a beautiful day (yesterday), that track's not going to dry out much, because it copped a fair soaking early in the week."

Tiley won the New Zealand Derby with Look Who's Talking as a rookie trainer in 1994 but rarely brings his horses to Australia these days.

"I haven't travelled many horses over here for the last 15-odd years, because to be honest, I haven't had one good enough," he said.