No Livamol for La Crique

[Wandering Eyes]

Trainers Simon and Katrina Alexander have set their sights towards summer targets with their star mare La Crique following yet another runner-up result in last month’s Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) at Te Rapa.

La Crique has two Group One victories to her name but has earned the perennial bridesmaid tag after finishing runner-up at elite-level on eight occasions, including her last six starts, and her trainers are hoping a freshen-up can help give her that extra edge to claim another Group One scalp.

“We have decided to take a sit and put her away,” Katrina Alexander said. “She is just having 10 days out at the moment, we won’t press onto the next leg (Gr.1 Livamol Classic, 2040m).

“We opted not to go to Australia, she just takes a bit when she pulls up, other than Ellerslie, she comes off Ellerslie in super form.

“We know we probably haven’t got her quite as good as what we want. We know we have got room for improvement, and we just want to get that extra 10 percent and see if we can nail it (Group One win) for her.

“We are happy to be patient. At her age (seven), we sort of target two races and then take a breather with her. Currently she is having a wee break away from the stable and we will bring her back and focus on something a little later in the year.”

Meanwhile, stablemate Midnight Scandal is set to have one more run before heading for the spelling paddock.

The stakes performer finished fifth in last weekend’s Gr.3 Grangewilliam Stud Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Hawera and the Alexanders are happy to give her one more run closer to home.

“Nothing went right in that race at Hawera the other day,” Alexander said. “She is a horse I think needs true tempo. They crawled around and tried to sprint home, which absolutely doesn’t suit her. She is a horse that has got a high cruising speed.

“That was to be her last race, but while the weather is the way it is, it looks like she could go into a rating 75 mile at Ellerslie (next Saturday).

“Given that she has come through that Hawera run really well, and didn’t really have much of a race, we will look at that and that will probably be the end for her for this part of the season, she has been up a long time, and she will have a good summer break after that.”

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