The Mornington Racecourse, tucked away on the Victorian peninsula, five minutes from Port Phillip Bay, was tagged for over a century as “little New Zealand”.

It seemed that all visiting trainers and those hoping to find a position in the Australian racing industry, would all start their search for stables at Mornington Racecourse.

So populated with champion stayers and jumpers that most believed wealthy rails bookmakers climbed to the top of the fence at the track to try and gain an insight into the Kiwis trackwork.  They had been stung repeatedly over the decades and were always fearful of another betting coup.

However, in 2021, Tony Pike, one of New Zealand’s finest horse trainers, can’t be by his charges side in their build-up to this year’s major races.

COVID-19 which has crippled much of Australia and is now again being felt in New Zealand.  Pike’s two horses to journey across the ditch but it was a different answer for those accompanying the horses.

“We didn’t probably act quick enough.  Suddenly we had an outbreak of COVID over here, the border went down and,apart from the 14-day isolation period for myself or my staff,you simply couldn’t get a flight out of New Zealand into Australia.

“Thankfully, and I mean thankfully, a long time friendship came to the rescue,” Pike said.

The Cambridge trainer had been good friends with Mornington horseman Tony Noonan and, after the harrowing trials and tribulations of coming to Australia, Pike decided that Noonan would take care of his spring hopefuls.

Pike is hoping to have Tutukaka ready for this year’s Victoria Derby at Flemington and has spared no expense in grooming the horse for the group one encounter.

“We gave him one run at home in New Zealand and then, after he beat a nice horse of ours, we flew him to Brisbane to get him ready for the Derby in Melbourne.  His efforts in Brisbane were very good and although he wasn’t beating a great field at his last start, his staying potential is undeniable,” Pike said.

Tutukaka will start at Flemington on Saturday in the Exford handicap over 1400 metres and has always been a strong pointer to the Derby later in the spring.

And the trainer is hopeful that he could achieve a unique Derby-Cup double when he starts his New Zealand Derby winner, Sherwood Forest, in the 1700 metre handicap on Saturday as another stepping stone to the first Tuesday in November.

“A lot of water has got to go under the bridge before we get to the Cup but he is doing everything right and I’ve got to say,for this stage of the horse’s preparation, we couldn’t be happier.  Luckily neither horse was impeded by the wet winter of New Zealand so we’re pretty excited about the horses next eight weeks.

“As far as a jockey goes, Damian Lane will ride both of them and he will be able to give us a decent yardstick, “ Pike said.

Already New Zealand racehorses are beginning to show that they’ll be major players in the weight-for-age races and rich handicaps in the next few weeks.

Until a month ago the little known Elephant, a 78 class rated horse, went within inches of securing a Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup start when he finished a narrow second in Saturday’s Feehan Stakes.

So strong are the vital signs that the Kiwi invasion is upon us,we might see some of our big bookmakers returning to looking over the fence at the Mornington Racecourse in early mornings leading up to the Derby and Cup.