I’munstoppable primed for Legacy Lodge Sprint

[Wandering Eyes]

Trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott went on a fact-finding mission to Pukekohe on Wednesday with I’munstoppable (NZ) (Charm Spirit), and they got the answers they were after.

The Group Three winner was victorious first-up over 1200m at Matamata earlier this month, and her trainers elected to test her going right-handed before nailing down her future targets.

They duly entered her in Wednesday’s Group and Listed 1100m trial at Pukekohe, alongside her Group Two-performed stablemate Lux Libertas, and they were pleased with what they saw.

The daughter of Charm Spirit rocketed out of the barriers to take an early lead, and she was never headed, building on her advantage down the home straight, eventually scoring a 3-3/4 length victory over Churchillian.

“We raced her in the earmuffs last time and she won well at Matamata,” Scott said. “We wanted to trial her without any ears on today and Masa (Hashizume, jockey) said she was very tractable.

“We had a bit of a hunch she was better left-handed than right, but Masa said she was good this way of going around, so she will be back here on Saturday week in the Legacy Lodge Sprint (Listed 1200m).

“The way she trialled today indicates she is going well, got around here well, and she doesn’t mind what the ground is like, so she will race well.”

Scott was also happy enough with Lux Libertas’ trial, with the daughter of Almanzor finishing back in the field after given a light hit-out by jockey Warren Kennedy.

“Lux Libertas is not quite as forward,” Scott said. “She only just cantered around behind them. Warren was happy with her and the way she is striding, and she is hopefully in for a good summer too.”

Meanwhile, two members of Cambridge trainer Tony Pike’s stable had their final public hit-out in the same trial before heading south to Riccarton’s New Zealand Cup meeting next week.

The Gr.3 TAB Mile (1600m) bound Churchillian finished second, while Slipper Island was given a quiet day out ahead of his feature sprint targets.

“I was very happy (with Churchillian’s trial),” stable representative Chris McNab said. “She wasn’t there to do much today, she just had a canter around on a grass track. The idea was just to sit outside the speed and let her have a nice, quiet trial, which she’s done.

“She will get on a plane next week and head to Christchurch.

“Slipper Island just went for a canter around. I told Matt (Cartwright, jockey) to keep him out of the kick-back, let him have a look around and have a blow. He will go to the Pegasus (Listed, 1000m) next week and then onto the Stewards (Listed, 1200m).”

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