Harris team halved for Hawera

[Wandering Eyes]

New Plymouth trainer Debbie Harris will head south to Hawera’s postponed meeting on Tuesday with just the one runner, but she is hoping that is enough to bring home a winner’s cheque.

Harris had two runners initially entered for Saturday’s meeting, which was postponed due weather and track conditions, but she has been forced to withdraw debut placegetter Daysofbliss from the Sharna Caskey @ Metcalfe Real Estate (1200m) after she presented lame on Monday morning.

That leaves four-win gelding Urenui as her sole representative, with the five-year-old son of Derryn set to kick off his preparation in the Scott Roberts @ Metcalfe Real Estate (1600m).

Urenui has been pleasing Harris with his progression this time in, winning his 1400m trial at Foxton last month, and she is confident he is forward enough to put in a bold performance first-up.

“He has been working really well so fingers crossed we can have a race meeting and he goes well,” Harris said.

“He has done plenty of work and has had a few jumpouts and a trial, so he should be pretty forward.

“The draw (2) isn’t ideal, but Jimmy (Chung, apprentice jockey) has ridden him in his jumpouts and trial this prep, so he has a bit of a feel of him so he will figure it out.”

Harris has plenty of time for the gelding, who made his stakes debut in the Listed Wanganui Cup (2040m) in his last start in November, and she said Urenui will likely target the feature once more as she feels they have unfinished business in the Cup.

“All going well we will try and look for a few nice staying races with him,” Harris said. “He was pretty competitive in some open company races last year so hopefully we can get a nice win for him and the owners.

“He didn’t get much luck during the running in the Wanganui Cup last year so that is something we will probably look at again this year.

“He is a pretty handy horse, he has got a bit of ability. We do have a few feet problems with him, so he is a little bit hard to keep sound, but when he is right, on his day he is not a bad horse.”

While upbeat about the future with Urenui, Harris is also excited about the prospects of one of his promising stablemates who is set to make their debut in the near future.

“I have got a nice three-year-old by Darci Brahma called Chibra,” she said. “He trialled a couple of weeks ago and I think he is going to be a nice progressive type of horse. He isn’t too far off coming to the races.”

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