Group targets instore for Midnight Scandal following Te Rapa win

[Wandering Eyes]

A decision to head to the races earlier than intended with Midnight Scandal (NZ) (Belardo) has paid dividends for trainers Simon and Katrina Alexander.

The Te Awamutu couple were weighing up between trialling their mare or lining her up in the Dunstan Horsefeeds 1200 at Te Rapa on Saturday, eventually opting for the latter.

From their outside gate in the eight-horse field, jockey Matt Cameron elected to settle Midnight Scandal off the pace at the rear of the pack.

Cameron asked his charge to gradually improve from the 600m, and turning for home he presented her in the middle of the track, just a few lengths off the lead.

Midnight Scandal showed a good turn of foot in the better part of the track and reeled in Twain (NZ) (Per Incanto) to score by a head, with a further 1-3/4 lengths back to Spencer (NZ) (Derryn) in third.

“She is the sort of mare that races handy, but off the hot speed I thought this would be a time to go back,” Cameron said.

“As long as I had Nabba’s (Michael McNab, jockey) horse (Force Of Nature (NZ) (Savabeel)) on the inside I knew that we were going to get over the top. She got to the better part of the track and was good.”

It was a fruitful result for the Alexanders, who were pleased they opted to head to the races with their mare.

They had their sights set on the Gr.3 Grangewilliam Stud Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) in October with the daughter of Belardo following her placing in the Gr.3 Tauranga Classic (1400m) in June.

They subsequently gave the mare a week in the paddock before an intended slow build-up to the Taranaki feature, but they are pleased they fast-tracked their initial plans.

“We gave her a spell after those first three runs in the winter and she has been back in the stable just ticking over,” Katrina Alexander said.

“We earmarked a race for her in early October, the Breeders’ Stakes down at Taranaki. She was coming to hand quite nicely, so we quickly got our skates on.

“We were going to trial her this morning before the races, but I was worried whether she was going to get a trial start, and the owners were keen to race instead.”

Alexander was pleased they elected to head to the races and is now looking forward to what they hope to be a lucrative spring with their mare.

“It was a quality field, so it was great to get the result,” she said.

Saturday’s victory was the fifth of Midnight Scandal’s career, and Alexander said she is only just now starting to hit her straps. “She has just taken a bit of time to get there,” she said. “It (ability) has always been there. She has got a bit of sass and a bit of confidence now, she always gives it 110 percent.”

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