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    • Lance Noble has his eye on a major early season prize with one of the few older members of his stable. The Karaka-based private trainer for Cambridge Stud has the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) on September 6 top of his wish list for the well-performed Habana (Zoustar). “He’s got a good record at Ellerslie, he likes going right-handed and it’s not far from home,” Noble said. “We’ll get him as fit as we can and try and see if we can maybe catch a few of the others a bit under done.” To that end, Habana has trialled at Avondale and at Taupo this week after he was to have raced at Ruakaka last weekend, but insufficient entries resulted in the race being scrapped. “Hopefully, he’ll race at Ruakaka (on Saturday week) in an open 1400m race and if we’re happy he’ll run in the Proisir,” Noble said. The son of Zoustar has posted eight victories and four placings from his 23 starts, including success in the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m), but was restricted to a limited autumn preparation. “He had colic surgery just before Christmas and we got him back and he had two runs before we put him,” Noble said. Another established member of the team is Jaarffi (NZ) (Iffraaj), who hasn’t raced since the Iffraaj mare finished a close and unlucky second in the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m). “She has been back in work for a month, we considered getting her ready for the early races, but she is more of a summer horse,” Noble said. “There are some nice fillies and mares’ races and hopefully she can go one better. “We’re going through a rebuilding period, but we’ve got Jaarfi, Habana and Frostfair up to black-type races and we’ve got some nice younger horses coming through, you never know where the next one is coming from.” Among them is Hello Youmzain’s daughter Heloisa (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) who has made an encouraging start to her career. “She had two starts at two for a couple of nice thirds and she’s developed during a break, we’ve got confidence in her,” Noble said. Unfortunately, the news is not so good regarding another talented daughter of Hello Youmzain in Remala, who was an impressive debut winner at Ellerslie last Boxing Day. “About two and a-half months ago we had a big storm here and she was spelling in the paddock,” Noble said. “She went through a fence and has been at the vet clinic since then. “Fortunately, she was able to be saved and there is hope we can get her back racing, but it will be a long process.” View the full article
    • All eyes will be on the John and Karen Parsons-trained trio of Tumuch, La Bella Nera and Miss Brittany in Wednesday’s $100,000 Polytrack Championship (1200m) at Riccarton, but fellow local hope Gemma Flitz (NZ) (Telperion) will be out to spoil the party.  The Ross Beckett-trained mare sealed her berth into the race with victory over 1200m at the track last month. The now seven-year-old daughter of Telperion had been knocking on the door, placing in her previous four starts, and Beckett was pleased to finally get a winner’s cheque.  “We needed to win that to run in the $100,000 race this week,” Beckett said. “She is well in herself and she has been racing well.”  Gemma Flitz will be ridden on Wednesday by stable apprentice Donovan Cooper, who will need some luck from barrier 13.   “Her draw is right against her, but it is what it is, so we just have to get on with the job,” Beckett said. “But it is really good to be racing for this sort of money on the poly.”  Following her mid-week test, Beckett said Gemma Flitz will likely have one more run before being prepared for New Zealand Cup Week in November.  “She doesn’t like wet tracks, so we might just give her one more start on the poly in a fortnight and she will have a wee freshen before Cup Week,” he said.  Beckett will also be represented on Wednesday by homebred Wanderin Spelle (NZ) (Wyndspelle) in the Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Rating 65 (1600m).  The Yaldhurst trainer has plenty of time for the four-year-old gelding, who has won and placed in his last two starts.  Beckett was confident of a bold showing this week, but Wanderin Spelle’s wide draw of 20 quickly quashed those hopes.  “I am very disappointed with the draw. I thought if he drew five or six he would win it,” Beckett said. “I think he is well above average and he just needs some luck from there.” View the full article
    • Riccarton trainer Lance Robinson is a big advocate for synthetic track racing, and he is looking forward to lining up a trio of runners in the country’s equal-richest polytrack race at his home track on Wednesday.  “It (Polytrack Championship) is great, especially for the lower grade horses,” Robinson said. “Getting a crack at being able to run for $100,000 at this time of year is excellent.  “I am a big fan of the polytrack, especially at this time of year. We wouldn’t have half of the horses in work if it wasn’t for the polytrack. We can also have spring horses going a little bit earlier down here as we have got the poly to work on.”  Robinson has qualified three runners for the $100,000 Polytrack Championship (1200m), including Delphillius, Elusive Impact and Sonnet, and he is proud to have the equal highest representation in the race alongside Balcairn trainers John and Karen Parsons.  “It is good that we have qualified three horses for it,” Robinson said.  Elusive Impact (NZ) (Impending) won first-up on the track over the same distance last month, and Robinson is hopeful of a repeat performance on Wednesday, despite drawing barrier 18.  “Elusive Impact has a tricky draw,” Robinson said. “He will go forward a bit and slot in somewhere behind the speed and we will work it out from there.   “But he has done really well, we are happy with him.”  Delphillius (NZ) (Rageese) has also drawn unfavourably in barrier 15, and Robinson said jockey Courtney Barnes will likely adopt similar tactics.  “Delphillius has an awful draw too,” Robinson said. “She is a go forward horse, so hopefully she can go forward and slot in somewhere.”  Three-win mare Sonnet (NZ) (Charm Spirit) will complete Robinson’s representation, and she will jump from the more favourable alley of two, with Kate Hercock aboard.  “Sonnet just hasn’t had any luck in her last three starts, she had terrible draws and just hasn’t had the rub of the green,” Robinson said. “She is in with a runner’s chance.”  Robinson will have two further representatives on the Riccarton undercard, with Moonlighting (NZ) (Ribchester) first-up in the Stallion Tenders Now Open Maiden (1200m), and In Awe (NZ) (Swiss Ace) in the Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Rating 65 (1600m).  “It’s the first-up run with Moonlighting,” Robinson said. “She hasn’t had a trial, but she has had a couple of jumpouts and gone well. She has got quite a bit of ability.   “We have got a good rider (Bruno Queiroz) on and she has got a good draw (1), so she will slot in behind the speed somewhere and hopefully she runs well. Whatever she does on Wednesday she will improve on.  “In Awe has got an awful draw (16), but he is going well. He loves the polytrack and he always tries hard.”  Looking ahead to Saturday, Robinson will have a quartet of runners competing on the final day of the Grand National Festival of Racing at Riccarton.  “We have got Bella Luce and Mr Bully Tee in the 75 mile, and they should both be good chances,” he said.  “Waihora Mist will back-up from the other day. She steps up to 2000m, which I think suits her. And Highland Fling is in the 65 1400m, and he should run well.” View the full article
    • Classy mare Val Di Zoldo (NZ) (War Decree) will have the opportunity to test her talents at the highest level this term after resuming with a tidy trial at Taupo on Monday. In the care of Cambridge horseman Tony Pike, Val Di Zoldo broke a streak of poor luck when taking out the Gr.3 Manawatu Breeders Stakes (2050m) and Gr.2 Travis Stakes (2000m) in the autumn, which lifted her rating up to 98. In her first outing since the Travis Stakes, Val Di Zoldo strode out comfortably in her 900m heat, going to the line under no pressure for regular rider Wiremu Pinn. “I’m really pleased with the way she’s coming up, it was just a quiet trial for her but she went to the line strongly and was strong through the line, so she’s come back in great order,” Pike said. “She’s reasonably high in the ratings now, so we’ll probably concentrate on the second two legs of the triple crown (Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile, 1600m and Gr.1 Livamol Classic, 2040m). “She’s a Group Two winner, so if she could pick up a black-type placing in one of those races, it would be very valuable for her as a broodmare, which will probably come next season.” Her stablemate Slipper Island (No Nay Never) had a coming-of-age campaign in the autumn, winning four races on the bounce down the Trentham chute. The last of the quartet came in the Listed City Of Napier Sprint (1200m), where he held off subsequent stakes winners Pier and Tomodachi. While he believes the gelding can be just as effective around a bend, Pike is looking to target some of the straight track features this season, including during New Zealand Cup Week in November. “He was just there for a day out, as were most of mine today, but he went really well to finish just in behind the placegetters,” Pike said. “He’ll take good improvement from that. “Where we head in the short term, I’m not quite sure yet, I’m looking to get him to a handicap race like the Stewards (Listed, 1200m) or something along those lines on a reasonably light weight. “He’s coming up really well and he’ll probably have one more trial before kicking off at Te Rapa on the 14th of September.” Riccarton was the setting for Lucy In The Sky’s (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) biggest success to date, when the talented filly took out the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) on the venue’s synthetic track. That success came off the back of a strong effort into sixth in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie, where Pike intends to kick her off in the new term after a quiet outing in her age-group heat on Monday.  “We hadn’t done a lot with her in trackwork, so I wanted to keep her under wraps today,” he said. “She’ll take a lot of improvement out of today’s trial, she’s still a bit wintery in her coat so it should bring her on nicely. “She’ll have one more trial, then head to the Gold Trail (Gr.3, 1200m) on the 6th of September. “She’s a really big-actioned filly, although she’s not overly big, so I would be a little bit concerned if she struck a genuine soft or heavy track. The Gold Trail will be run at Ellerslie, and she’s won on there on debut and ran creditably in the Sistema, and I think that track should be a lot more consistent and provide more certainty going into the spring.” Pike welcomed the return of Churchillian (NZ) (Churchill) earlier in the day, a Group Three-winning mare who has been off the scene for over nine months following an injury. “She trialled really well at Counties in December, but pulled up with a very unusual ligament injury to her hind hock,” Pike said. “Hence, she’s been off the scene for quite a while. “It’s good to see her back, she’s grown into a big strong mare and I thought her trial today, even though she’s been away from the race track for over nine months, was very pleasing. “She’ll have one more trial before heading back to the races, but she looks to be in for a really good season in those 1400m-1600m fillies and mares races, of which there are plenty around. “I’m looking forward to having her back on the race track.” Another in pursuit of black-type honours this spring is Cannon Hill (NZ) (Ardrossan), a lightly-raced gelding who held his own well in a trial won by La Crique. “I was really pleased with him, he was probably a bit fresh and trialled a bit above himself, but I thought his trial was really pleasing,” Pike said. “He’s a horse that is nicely rated at the moment to get to a race like the Coupland’s (TAB) Mile (Gr.3, 1600m) on a nice light weight, so he’ll tick his way through the spring and that’s probably the race we’ll target this preparation.” View the full article
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