Pitman keen to land inaugural Southern Alps Challenge

[Wandering Eyes]

Having already secured a special place in South Island racing history through a career spanning more than four decades, it would be fitting for Riccarton trainer Michael Pitman to take a share of the spotlight during an exciting raceday on his home track on Saturday.

The nine-race programme features two Listed races along with the inaugural running of the $350,000 TAB Southern Alps Challenge (1600m) – an innovation race restricted to trainers with South Island stables. Runners must have been based at the trainer’s South Island stable as at December 31, and they must have contested at least two South Island races since that date.

Pitman and his son Matthew have four horses entered among a capacity field of 14 plus six emergencies for the lucrative new race, headed by the $2.40 favourite Mystic Park.

But that is not the only reason Pitman is eagerly looking forward to Saturday’s showpiece autumn meeting.

“They’ve turned this meeting into an exciting raceday, and especially with that Southern Alps Challenge,” Pitman said. “That race is really a huge boost for our part of the country.

“I’m looking forward to the day, and the other exciting thing for us is that I’m two wins away from 2,000. It would be great if we could get there tomorrow, or if not tomorrow, maybe back at Riccarton the following Saturday.”

Pitman’s 1,998^th winner came when Third Decree won at Ashburton on April 4, and he sits in second place on New Zealand’s all-time list behind Graeme Rogerson.

The Pitman family already has more than 2,000 New Zealand victories to its name, reaching that milestone in March of 2022. But 93 of those wins came when Pitman was based in Ballarat in the 1990s and his wife Diane took over the Riccarton stable.

Mystic Park has the form credentials to push Pitman closer to that milestone and create another slice of history for the trainer as the first winner of the Southern Alps Challenge.

The Ocean Park gelding has had nine starts for five wins and three placings. His six appearances so far in his four-year-old season have produced four wins and a second, with the only blip coming when he failed to handle the quick back-up between the two Saturdays of the New Zealand Cup Carnival in November.

Mystic Park blew his Rating 75 rivals off the track with a four-length romp over 1400m on February 10, then stepped up into open company and again won impressively over the same distance on March 23.

Pitman expects the step up to 1600m to suit Mystic Park, but there is one factor that has dented his confidence.

“He deserves to be the favourite after those recent performances and his work has been super,” he said. “But, to be honest, I am worried about track conditions.

“We had a lot of rain overnight and the track was down to a Soft7 this (Friday) morning. It only stopped raining about an hour ago. He’s a very free-going galloper, and horses like that usually tend to prefer better footing.

“He ran third behind Makabar in his only previous run on a heavy track. He drew the inside that day, and that’s sometimes like going off a cliff when Riccarton is heavy – it’s very hard to win when you’re down on the rail. With that in mind, I believe his wider draw this week (14) will be a help rather than a hindrance.”

Stablemate Charbano is rated a $31 chance, but he was an easy last-start winner on heavy ground at Riverton, and Pitman believes he should not be underestimated.

“I really think Charbano might be the best-weighted horse in the race,” he said. “He’s in form, he’s won at Riccarton and won at the distance, he loves wet ground and he’s got 53.5kg on his back. He should be very competitive.”

Makabar and Proserve are the first and second ballots for the Southern Alps Challenge, with Makabar also entered for the Angus Meats Open Handicap (1200m).

“If he doesn’t get a start in the big race, I think Makabar might be hard to beat in the open sprint,” Pitman said.

Pitman also has multi-pronged representation in Saturday’s Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1600m), headed by Epee Beel. The consistent daughter of Epaulette has finished in the first four in eight of her 12 starts this season, including a third in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m), fourth in the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m) and third in the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1400m).

“She’s been going great,” Pitman said. “This is probably the strongest field we’ve had for one of these fillies’ races in the autumn for a long time. There are nine fillies down from the North Island, and they’re always hard to beat.

“A wet track won’t bother Epee Beel, but she might be better suited to stepping up in trip for the Warstep Stakes (Listed, 2000m) next week. She’s out of a Zabeel mare, so those genes might kick in once she gets up to 2000m.”

Blanche was a maiden winner over 2000m in January and has placed in both of her last two starts.

“I thought her last-start third was particularly good,” Pitman said. “It’s hard to find riders with such a big field for this race, so I’ve put my apprentice on (Abdul Najib).

“She’s another one who will be a better chance over 2000m next week. She’s already won over that distance.”

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