Course Specialist Set for Flying Assignment Return

[Wandering Eyes]

Our Echo (NZ) (Echoes Of Heaven) has a well-documented love affair with the champagne turf and the Balcairn galloper will cross the Cook Strait again this week in pursuit of Saturday’s Listed Bramco and Granite Flying Handicap (1400m).

The eight-year-old son of Echoes Of Heaven has made a number of trips to Trentham since early 2022 and rarely goes home without a prize, including last year’s Listed Lightning Handicap (1200m), which was followed by a game third to Bradman (NZ) (Pins) in the Flying Handicap.

After a mixed spring preparation this season, Our Echo indicated he was near his best winning the Kurow Cup (1400m) in late December, and returning to Trentham during Wellington Cup Week, he downed a quality field with Tina Comignaghi in the saddle.

That combination caused another minor upset last-start in the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m), collecting his first mile victory in the historic Wingatui feature taking the photo finish over Perfect Scenario.

“It was a very proud moment and I was genuinely honoured to receive that from Brian (Anderton) and the White Robe family,” trainer Danny Frye said. “They are stalwarts of Otago and Southland racing and it was a real thrill.

“It was very satisfying, it was also his first time winning a race over a mile. He may have only got there by a lip, but there was about three or four lengths back to the third horse, which vindicated our faith in him this time.”

Frye’s focus immediately turned to Saturday’s $110,000 contest, where he contemplated a trial but elected to work the gelding at home in North Canterbury prior to his journey north on Thursday morning. 

“Everything has been good since then, he’s been a really good doing horse this time around and we’ve had to keep him up to the mark a wee bit,” he said. “I was tentatively going to give him a trial on Monday at Riccarton Park, but they ended up getting enough rain the evening before to put that idea to bed.

“He did some controlled fast work at home instead yesterday, he flew through his paces really well and I’m looking forward to putting him on the float in the early hours of Thursday.

“We’ve always maintained with a big trip like this, through other people’s advice that I’ve heeded, that you make sure the horse is ready to go before you put him on the float. He’ll just have a nice trip up, he’ll tighten up enough on the trip then have some r and r on Friday to get over that.

“He’s gotten pretty used to that trip by now.”

With seven of his nine career successes coming on Good surfaces, Frye is hopeful the track may near that mark later come Saturday.

“He’s got a pretty serious record at Trentham over the 1400, but at this time of the year, we’ll be playing on lady luck with track conditions,” he said. “We want it better than any softer, but it is what it is now.

“Whether it’s the style of racing or just the saying of horses for courses, I don’t know, but he’s clicked every time we’ve taken him there, so we’ll keep going back.”

One factor that will change on this occasion is Our Echo’s rider, with Comignaghi out of the country at present.

“We’ve had to have a change of rider, as Tina is away on holiday for the next couple of weeks,” Frye said.

“We’ve been lucky to get the services of Sam Spratt, we were keen to give her a go if she was available. In the hindsight, I’d still like to take him up to Ellerslie next season at some stage, so it may add a string to our bow if Sam does click with him.

“Stature-wise, she is so much similar to Tina, she rides a lot like her, a little pocket battleship.”

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