Kingsclere switch focus back to home soil

[Wandering Eyes]

In the gap between two enormously exciting weekends in Australia, Cambridge trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood are hoping to maintain their winning form in the two domestic meetings in New Zealand on Saturday.

Last weekend produced one of the most remarkable hours in the history of Kingsclere Stables. First up was superstar filly Orchestral, who continued her stellar three-year-old season with another Group One victory in the A$750,000 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill. Mark Twain followed suit soon afterwards in Melbourne, winning the A$500,000 Listed Roy Higgins (2600m) at Flemington and securing a ballot-free entry into the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) in November.

“That was a very special afternoon for our stable,” Wellwood said. “It’s always a big thrill to win any race in Australia, let alone a Group One and also a major staying race that carries a golden ticket into the Melbourne Cup. It’s a day that we’ll remember for a long time.

“Both horses have come through it really well. Mark Twain got back to the stable on Thursday morning. He’ll have a canter on Friday before heading out into the paddock.

“Orchestral is just thriving in Sydney. She’s in great order and we can’t fault her.”

Orchestral will be the headline act again next weekend when she lines up as a hot favourite in the A$1 million Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m) on the second day of The Championships at Randwick.

“We’re hoping the Sydney weather might improve a little bit between now and then,” Wellwood said. “It doesn’t look great for the first day this weekend, but the forecast is a bit better next week. We think she’ll handle some cut in the ground, but we’d rather see the track dry out a little bit.”

James and Wellwood have another feature-race favourite to saddle in the meantime, with Apostrophe rated a $3.50 chance for the Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2100m) at Trentham on Saturday.

The Tavistock mare has an outstanding record at the Wellington course, where her three previous starts have produced a win in Rating 75 grade in December of 2022, a second in a photo finish to the Gr.3 Anniversary Handicap (1600m) in January, and a strong-finishing second in the Gr.3 Cuddle Stakes (1600m) two weeks ago.

“She goes particularly well at Trentham,” Wellwood said. “She’s a mare that’s been crying out for this sort of distance as well, and we just haven’t had the chance to get her there. It’s exciting to see her finally getting up over 2100m for this race.

“She’s in good order and it looks like a very nice race for her. We’d love to see her pick up a black-type win – firstly for the mare herself, because she really deserves it, but also for an owner (Inglewood Partnership) that has been a great supporter of the stable.”

James and Wellwood also have a strong hand at Pukekohe on Saturday, including high-priced yearling purchase Northeasterly in the Shaw’s Wire Ropes (1600m).

By The Autumn Sun out of the More Than Ready mare Pristino, Northeasterly is a half-brother to three stakes performers, headed by the Group Two winner and Group One-placed Dijon Bleu. He was bought for $900,000 from Landsdowne Park’s draft at Karaka 2022.

Northeasterly made his eagerly anticipated debut at New Plymouth on March 22, finishing a close second over 1400m.

“He’s a really nice horse who’s just taken a little bit of time,” Wellwood said. “We thought his first-up run was very good. He should take some nice improvement out of that, and the step up to the mile on Saturday should suit him.”

Hasstobeawinner won or placed in all of his first six starts this season, including a four-length maiden win at Tauranga in December and a second to Wallen in the $350,000 Karapiro Classic (1600m). He has also placed behind classy three-year-old Witz End.

The four-year-old Vadamos gelding blotted his copybook with a well-beaten fifth on heavy ground at Tauranga last start, but James and Wellwood are expecting improvement in Saturday’s Ellerslie Events (1600m).

“That heavy track tripped him up last time,” Wellwood said. “We weren’t sure going into the race how he’d handle that ground, but now we’ve learned that he’s definitely not a wet-track horse.

“Hopefully, on some firmer footing on Saturday, he’ll produce an improved performance and get back into some of that good form he was showing earlier in the preparation.”

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