Trentham to decide future paths of stablemates

[Wandering Eyes]

Questions about the immediate futures of the well-performed Whangaehu and his younger stablemate Landman will be answered by their performances at Trentham.

Trainers Bill Thurlow and Sam O’Malley will firm up directions the pair will take for the remainder of their preparations after Sunday’s meeting.

Whangaehu will make the second start of his current campaign in the Gr.3 Gee & Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson Handicap (1600m) while Landman runs in the Upper Hutt Car Sales 3YO (1400m).

Multiple stakes winner Whangaehu tailed the field home when he resumed in the Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) at Te Rapa and a subsequent outing at Tuesday’s Foxton trials was also inconclusive.

“He was a bit disappointing to be honest, he looks well but I’m just not sure where he’s at,” Thurlow said.

“He pulled up really well after the trial, but he had to be chased the whole way. We’ll see if he can turn it around on Sunday and that will give us a better idea of where we head.

“He’s getting ready to go 2000m so maybe I’m being a bit hard on him, we’ll see at Trentham.”

Should the son of Proisir perform well, the Gr.3 Elsdon Park Balmerino Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie Melbourne Cup Day will become a possible next port of call.

Meanwhile, Hello Youmzain three-year-old Landman has done well since a pleasing last-start effort at Riccarton for fourth behind subsequent Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) runner-up Alottago.

Landman had been nominated for Saturday’s Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton, but travel concerns due to this week’s wild weather ruled out a return trip.

“We thought we may have been able to get him back down there, but logistically it’s just too hard,” Thurlow said.

“I thought he went a pretty good race and I’ve been quite keen to get him up to a mile against his own age group, but it just hasn’t been possible yet.

“He’ll go to Trentham, it looks quite a strong field but if they get a bit of rain, it probably wouldn’t worry him too much and one or two others may not run.”

The stable has also pulled the pin on a crack at the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m).

“We’re just going to take it a bit quieter with him, I’m just not sure whether he’s up to that grade at this stage,” Thurlow said.

“There will be some very good ones going down there.

“He’s in good shape for Sunday so we’ll see what happens and take it from there and see where we end up.”

The stable also has Miss Fireball in the Tawhiti Hina R65 (1400m) at New Plymouth on Friday and there is confidence in her prospects if she can get ground to suit.

“If she does go there and the track is reasonable, I think she will run really well,” Thurlow said.

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