Track conditions to suit Loch Katrine

[Wandering Eyes]

A Heavy 10 track at Pukekohe Park was the key to Loch Katrine’s (NZ) (Ardrossan) biggest career success as a juvenile, and the filly will meet the same conditions when contesting the SkyCity Horizon 1600 on Wednesday.

The daughter of Ardrossan won the Listed Champagne Stakes (1600m) in April last year and has been a consistent performer without adding another victory for Matamata trainer Stephen Autridge.

“When she won as a two-year-old it was very heavy and basically every time she runs on that sort of track she’s been in the money,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to the wetter track on Wednesday with her and from now on.

“We’ll have to see where we go now with her, she’s a three-year-old filly but those races are basically finished, so we’ve just got to go through the grades now.”

Loch Katrine will be ridden by Autridge’s apprentice Maria Sanson, who was successful in both of her two riding assignments at Te Rapa last Saturday and claims three kilograms off the filly’s 58kg impost.

“She’s been jumping well, but the jockeys have just been letting her drift back in her races. We’re going to try to ride her a little bit closer to the pace, so she doesn’t have so much to make up,” Autridge said.

“With three kilos off her back from gate five, we should be in a nice spot.”

Sanson has recorded 10 wins this season in the saddle and is nearing her career best of 13 from last term, despite several setbacks with injury over the duration of her apprenticeship.

“She’s getting more and more rides, and she continues to improve,” Autridge said.

“The good thing is, I think she has been granted extra time in her apprenticeship because she has had a few setbacks and time away, which will be good for her.”

Autridge will have a sole representative over the weekend in Midnight Monarch, a three-year-old filly by Snitzel who will resume in the maiden 1200m contest at Te Aroha.

“She has shown us quite a lot at home, but had to have a little chip taken out of her fetlock which has had her away from the races for some time,” Autridge said.

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