Trots

Martell made an instant impact in his first appearance from his new quarters and more of the same is forecast at Gore. The former Jim Collett-prepared sprinter made a successful South Island debut at Wingatui earlier this month and is expected to go close to adding Sunday’s Advance Agriculture Open (1100m) to his record. He will head a strong hand for trainer Kelvin Tyler who will also be represented by Go Lotte, while stablemates Vamos ($3.80 with Ladbrokes) and Prince Alby ($4.80) are top chances in the Kevin Coyle Memorial Open (1800m). Delmonico is the race favourite with betting sites, although Prince Alby and Vamos are both under the $5 quote, and the longest horse in the event is Mr Intelligence at $9, highlighting just how open the Memorial will be. The Riverton horseman will also be keeping a close eye on the Marton meeting at Trentham where Freddie Time steps out in the Nufarm & Property Brokers Handicap (1400m). Freddie Time is the $5.50 second favourite, behind Ma Te Wa ($2). El Roca six-year-old Martell has now won seven of his 26 starts and Tyler is understandably bullish about his chances on Sunday. “He’s a good horse and Jim Collett did a great job with him. The wet track’s not going to hurt, it’s a winnable race for him again,” he said. “It’s still the same ownership group and you couldn’t get a better horse to work with, he’s fitted in well and we’re very pleased to have him.” Stable stalwart Go Lotte posted consecutive placings before she tailed the field home last time out at Riccarton. “She got back and they kicked off the front that day with the rail out, so it was hard for her,” Tyler said. “She’ll go a nice race on Sunday, she’s won 10 races so she’s obviously a good horse, but Martell will probably be a bit sharp for her.” Tyler also favoured his last-start Riccarton winner Vamos over Prince Alby in the other open handicap. “His work has been great, he’s a beautiful black horse and is very genuine so he’ll take some stopping,” he said. Prince Alby was a resuming fourth behind Martell and is on a path toward a November staying feature at Riccarton. “If he had got a bit more room the other day he may have given him a run for his money,” Tyler said. “He’s come through it well and is heading toward the New Zealand Cup (Gr.3, 3200m), but I don’t think he’s up to Vamos at this stage.” Trentham hope Freddie Time finished fourth when resuming at Otaki earlier this month in his first appearance since a disappointing Queensland venture. “I was rapt with him and his work has been unreal, he should be a great chance on a wet track in a small field,” Tyler said. “He pulled a muscle in Australia, so we brought him back and instead of bringing him down south for the winter we parked him up at Howie and Lorraine Mathews’ place and he’s still there. “There’s another good race for him at Otaki in three weeks’ time, so he’ll keep ticking over up there.” View the full article

Chase will reunite with jockey Tina Comignaghi in Saturday’s Group 3 Metric Mile (1600m) at Trentham. Photo: Race Images South Group One performer Chase has been in a rich vein of form of late and he will attempt to continue that at Trentham on Saturday in the Group 3 Metric Mile (1600m). The nine-year-old son of Zed returned to the winner’s circle in July before heading south to Riccarton last month where he was a popular winner of the Group 3 Winter Cup (1600m), and trainer Stephen Nickalls has been pleased with the way he has come through his southern venture. “He is a pretty seasoned campaigner now, not much worries him,” he said. “He came home, had a week in the paddock and he put on 15 kilos. He did very well out of the trip down there. “He is in fantastic form, he is thriving on everything. He doesn’t know that he is nine-years-old, he is really well and doing everything we could ask of him.” More: NZ racing betting Chase hasn’t been sighted on raceday since, but that hasn’t been by design, and Nickalls has kept him up to the mark with a 1000m trial at Waverley a fortnight ago. “It has been seven weeks between runs, he has been a victim of the programming around here, there have been no open miles in the CD,” Nickalls said. “We have had to play that waiting game, but he is really well and he trialled at Waverley and trialled really well.” Chase will continue his association with Canterbury jockey Tina Comignaghi, who has established a great record on the gelding. “She has only had the two rides on him, she ran third on him in the Captain Cook (Gr.1, 1600m) and then won the Winter Cup,” Nickalls said. “They have a pretty good relationship and she was keen to come back up, her agent rang me and said she was keen to ride him. You don’t break up a winning combination.” The pair will jump from barrier seven, a gate Nickalls said should suit his racing pattern. “It is better than drawing down on the rail,” he said. “He jumps with them, but takes a little to get into stride, so that won’t worry him and if the rain is coming like they say it is then it will be pretty wet anyway.” Chase is currently sitting as a $6 equal favourite for Saturday’s with PlayUp (PlayUp review), alongside the Gerard Cvitanovich-trained Knock Off, with Tumuch, Ears Back and Privy Garden the next fancied runners at $8. Sunday’s Metric Mile is due to jump at 2.23pm AEST, with the meeting at the Trentham racecourse due to begin at 10.50am. View the full article

Mark Newnham is relishing a fast start to the new season and is looking to Mid Winter Wind and New Forest to continue it at Sha Tin on Sunday. The 57-year-old has hit the board on three occasions so far this campaign and he has a host of chances to continue the good times on Sunday, with his team spearheaded by the promising Mid Winter Wind. He goes in the feature Class Two Yi Tung Shan Handicap (1,200m) and is looking to bounce back after a low-key end to last season that saw him fail to build...View the full article

Shaun and Hazel Fannin have two horses in the market for the Great New Zealand Steeplechase at Te Aroha on Sunday. Shaun and Hazel Fannin’s pair of talented jumpers in Jesko and Fourty Eight will clash for the first time over fences in Sunday’s hotly-contested Ben and Ryan Foote Great New Zealand Steeplechase (6200m) at Te Aroha. Jesko has been the lamp-lighter for the stable this year, winning the Manawatu Steeplechase (4000m), Wellington Steeplechase (4900m) and Koral Steeplechase (4250m), before going down to a game Captains Run in the Grand National Steeplechase (5600m). He has been ridden on each occasion by Shaun Fannin, who was proud of his charge’s effort in the testing conditions at Riccarton. Read: NZ horse racing guide “He was very brave, he got taken on a little bit in the run and probably did too much, which told in the finish in that really tough going,” he said. “In saying that, he never chucked it away and Captains Run was an impressive winner, so I take nothing away from that horse.” The son of Atlante returned to their Awapuni base and enjoyed a quiet fortnight before setting his sights on a rematch with much of his National rivals. That preparation included a hit-out in a bottomless New Plymouth track last Saturday, where he finished seventh in the Road To The Jericho (3210m). “He had 10 days off before building towards this race, he jumped out last Tuesday at Foxton then we took him to New Plymouth, which turned out to be an extremely heavy track,” Fannin said. “It was probably a harder run than we wanted to give him, but he’s pretty tough and it didn’t knock him too much, he’s come through that run well. “He’s as good as we’re going to get him and we’re hopeful that he’s in good enough form to be a really good chance on Sunday, he’s had a super season.” Jesko opened a $5 favourite for the $200,000 feature with Australian betting sites, but the market has his stablemate nearly on even terms, with Fourty Eight an equal second-elect at $6. The seven-year-old by Ekraar has improved throughout his campaign and stepped up in his first attempt at prestige level, finishing third behind Nedwin in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup (4300m). Fannin was on board and had to contend with a riderless horse coming in and out of play, which was no assist to Fourty Eight’s chances. “That undid him really, he can be quite temperamental sometimes and that fired him up a bit, he pulled quite hard,” Fannin said. “He was just chasing that horse and every time he got a breather it seemed to come back again. “He stuck on well, and maybe if that hadn’t have happened, I think he could’ve finished a bit closer.” He also lined up in the Jericho qualifier but was well beaten at the 800m, and Fannin said the gelding hadn’t taken any harm from the run. “We took him to New Plymouth to give him a bit of a hit out before Sunday, but he didn’t really do anything there, whether it was just the track I’m not sure,” he said. “We got him scoped and checked over by the vet on Monday and he’s all clear, he had a bit of a school on Thursday morning and worked up as good as ever so I can’t really fault him. “If he sees the trip out, he should be a good chance as well.” Recently awarded his fifth Jumps Jockey of the Year title at the Horse of the Year Awards, Fannin will continue his partnership with Jesko, while entrusting close friend Mathew Gillies with the ride on Fourty Eight. “Matt’s a super rider and we’ve been good friends for a long time as well,” he said. “He actually schooled this horse last year when he was down for a weekend, so he’s ridden him before. “He’s quite a strong rider as well, so if he did get up and pulling, I’m sure Matt will be able to rein him in quite quickly. I think they’ll be a good pairing.” View the full article

Shaun and Hazel Fannin’s pair of talented jumpers in Jesko and Fourty Eight will clash for the first time over fences in Sunday’s hotly-contested Ben and Ryan Foote Great New Zealand Steeplechase (6200m) at Te Aroha. Jesko has been the lamp-lighter for the stable this year, winning the Manawatu Steeplechase (4000m), Wellington Steeplechase (4900m) and Koral Steeplechase (4250m), before going down to a game Captains Run in the Grand National Steeplechase (5600m). He has been ridden on each occasion by Shaun Fannin, who was proud of his charge’s effort in the testing conditions at Riccarton. “He was very brave, he got taken on a little bit in the run and probably did too much, which told in the finish in that really tough going,” he said. “In saying that, he never chucked it away and Captains Run was an impressive winner, so I take nothing away from that horse.” The son of Atlante returned to their Awapuni base and enjoyed a quiet fortnight before setting his sights on a rematch with much of his National rivals. That preparation included a hit-out in a bottomless New Plymouth track last Saturday, where he finished seventh in the Road To The Jericho (3210m). “He had 10 days off before building towards this race, he jumped out last Tuesday at Foxton then we took him to New Plymouth, which turned out to be an extremely heavy track,” Fannin said. “It was probably a harder run than we wanted to give him, but he’s pretty tough and it didn’t knock him too much, he’s come through that run well. “He’s as good as we’re going to get him and we’re hopeful that he’s in good enough form to be a really good chance on Sunday, he’s had a super season.” Jesko opened a $5 favourite for the $200,000 feature, but the market has his stablemate nearly on even terms, with Fourty Eight an equal second-elect on $6. The seven-year-old by Ekraar has improved throughout his campaign and stepped up in his first attempt at prestige level, finishing third behind Nedwin in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup (4300m). Fannin was on board and had to contend with a riderless horse coming in and out of play, which was no assist to Fourty Eight’s chances. “That undid him really, he can be quite temperamental sometimes and that fired him up a bit, he pulled quite hard,” Fannin said. “He was just chasing that horse and every time he got a breather it seemed to come back again. “He stuck on well, and maybe if that hadn’t have happened, I think he could’ve finished a bit closer.” He also lined up in the Jericho qualifier but was well beaten at the 800m, and Fannin said the gelding hadn’t taken any harm from the run. “We took him to New Plymouth to give him a bit of a hit out before Sunday, but he didn’t really do anything there, whether it was just the track I’m not sure,” he said. “We got him scoped and checked over by the vet on Monday and he’s all clear, he had a bit of a school on Thursday morning and worked up as good as ever so I can’t really fault him. “If he sees the trip out, he should be a good chance as well.” Recently awarded his fifth Jumps Jockey of the Year title at the Horse of the Year Awards, Fannin will continue his partnership with Jesko, while entrusting close friend Mathew Gillies with the ride on Fourty Eight. “Matt’s a super rider and we’ve been good friends for a long time as well,” he said. “He actually schooled this horse last year when he was down for a weekend, so he’s ridden him before. “He’s quite a strong rider as well, so if he did get up and pulling, I’m sure Matt will be able to rein him in quite quickly. I think they’ll be a good pairing.” View the full article