Synthetic heavyweights to renew rivalry

[Wandering Eyes]

Two of the heavyweights of New Zealand synthetic racing are set to meet for just the second time this week at Cambridge’s synthetic meeting on Thursday.

The Mark Treweek-trained Lhasa (Hellbent) has won six of his nine starts on the surface, while the David Greene-trained Branciforti (NZ) (Belardo) has won four of her nine polytrack starts, including defeating the former in last year’s $100,000 Martin Collins Polytrack 1400m Innovation Race at Awapuni.

The pair will renew their rivalry in Thursday’s Cambridge Real Estate 1300, with the 92-rated Lhasa set to carry 63.5kg, 6.5kg more than the 79-rated Branciforti.

Initially set to carry 67.5kg, Treweek has utilised the services of four-kilogram claiming apprentice Sam McNab, but said his charge still has a tough ask under the big impost.

“It is a lot of weight, so we have gone for a four-kilo claim,” Treweek said. “I have been giving it a lot of thought as to whether to run him or not, but it (weight) is what it is and at this stage we will be running.

“I know they say weight will stop a train but horses on that track carry the weight a little bit better, it’s not like you are running in a really deep track on the turf.”

The $100,000 Polytrack Championship (1400m) at Awapuni next month remains a lucrative carrot for Treweek, who said he was keen to give his gelding another run to keep him up to the mark.

“He is very well so I was keen to give him another run,” he said.

“There’s the $100,000 series coming up, so it would be nice to think we could have a look at one of those providing he comes through the race well on Thursday.”

Treweek will also head to Cambridge on Thursday with another synthetic specialist in Seamsew (Brazen Beau), who will contest the Saddlery Warehouse 970.

“He has battled away and hasn’t hit the line too well in his last two runs, he has needed the runs,” he said. “I expect him to go a really good race on Thursday, he is very well and a bit fitter now, so he should be right in it.”

Treweek has elected to engage in-form apprentice jockey Yuga Okubo on Thursday, with his four-kilogram claim bringing Seamsew’s impost down to 55.5kg.

The Cambridge trainer is impressed with the pool of quality four-kilogram claiming apprentices in the region and said it bodes well for the industry’s future.

“We are blessed with some good jockeys coming through,” he said. “Both of those boys ride really well, and so does Ashlee Strawbridge. They are really good riders for their claim.”

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