Muniandy on a roll

[Wandering Eyes]

Local trainer Shankar Muniandy continued his great run of form at Wingatui on Saturday, adding a win and two runner-up results to his season tally.

He now sits on six wins and more than $180,000 in earnings, highlighted by Collect Your Cash’s victory in last month’s Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m), his first stakes triumph.

The three-year-old son of Rageese was subsequently sixth in the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m) at Ascot Park and returned to Wingatui over the weekend where he ran fourth in the Nellies Restaurant & Bar (1400m).

Muniandy was pleased with the run and had planned on heading north with the gelding for next week’s Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) at Trentham, but the decision has been made to send him out for a well-deserved spell and concentrate on next season with him.

“The plan was to head to the Wellington Guineas and that was his lead-in run on Saturday and he went really well,” Muniandy said. “I talked with the owners last night, he has done well for them, and we have decided to send him for a spell.

“We want to look after him and we think he has a bright future next prep. He is a staying type of horse and there are a lot of opportunities for him next year.”

Meanwhile, Lucienne doubled her win tally for the stable when victorious in the Be My Guest (1600m) in the hands of Muniandy’s jockey brother Ruvanesh.

“She is a nice horse,” Muniandy said. “She has only had five starts for me and this is her second win. She is not an easy horse to train, she is pretty hard work.

“To come home like she did on Saturday, she was able to show her class.”

Lucienne is also enjoying some time in the paddock but will be set to head to Riccarton later this month.

“We will give her three or four quiet days in the paddock and go from there,” Muniandy said. “We have got some nice races coming up in Christchurch in a few weeks’ time.”

Muniandy also recorded two runner-up results on Saturday courtesy of Enterprise in the Dakota Boutique + Lifestyle (820m) and Salaam Namastey in the Grand Casino (1600m).

He was particularly pleased with Enterprise’s debut showing, with the promising son of U S Navy Flag now enjoying a spell ahead of what Muniandy is tipping to be a bright future on the track.

“He has always shown a bit and I was really happy with the run, he is a nice horse,” Muniandy said.

“We pulled his shoes off this morning and he will be going to the paddock.

“He has got the pedigree behind him. He is a lovely horse and there has been a plan with him from day one. He will head towards the Guineas races (next season). It was a good educational run (on Saturday) and it has done him the world of good.”

Stablemate Perfect California was runner-up in last year’s edition of the race behind subsequent stakes performer Cu Chulainn, and Muniandy is looking forward to her return to the races later this month.

“We have got a three-year-old filly, Perfect California, she ran second in the same two-year-old race last year,” he said. “She is going really well and she is ready to race at Wingatui on the 17^th (of March).”

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