Kiwis seeking to recapture Jericho Cup

[Wandering Eyes]

Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray took out the 2023 edition of the A$304,000 Jericho Cup (4600m) at Warrnambool with Nassak Diamond (Roc de Cambes), and on Sunday they will be seeking to usurp their former stable runner in the marathon feature with Tempest Moon (NZ) (Turn Me Loose).

Ritchie is in Australia with the daughter of Turn Me Loose, who like Nassak Diamond, carries the familiar silks of owner The Oaks Stud.

The Cambridge trainer is excited to be back in Warrnambool and said the city gets in behind the race that honours past servicemen.

“It is a fantastic week here,” Ritchie said. “They have the light infantry go through town and when Nassak Diamond won, Colm, Rick (Williams, The Oaks Stud general manager) and I all got a kick out of it because they play the last post, there are 8,000 people on course and nobody says a word, it is eery. They really show a lot of respect to their returned serviceman, as do we.

“It is a unique race being three miles and when Nassak Diamond won it two years ago I wasn’t sure if there was another lap to go or not.

“It is nice to come over here with a New Zealand-trained horse again and have another go.”

The five-year-old mare has won just one of her 13 starts to date, but Ritchie believes she will lap up the marathon distance and has taken heart from her last two runs, where she was fourth at Taupo over 2600m before finishing runner-up to I’m A Dirty Rascal (NZ) (Galileo) in the NZB Airfreight Road To The Jericho (3000m) at Riccarton.

“She profiles as the right style of horse, she wanted to go another lap again after the winning post at Riccarton and at Taupo in her last couple of starts,” Ritchie said.

While confident in his charge, Ritchie believes Nassak Diamond is the horse to beat in the race, having won over two miles earlier this month.

“You are taking on a great deal of jumping style horses over here, but the one to beat might be The Oaks Stud’s other horse, Nassak Diamond, who is with Michelle and Paddy Payne now,” he said.

“Either way, if The Oaks Stud win the race, we will be having a drink on a Sunday night.”

A day prior back in New Zealand, the stable will welcome the return of another stayer, Group Two winner Mahrajaan (Kitten’s Joy) in the Gr.3 Bayleys Great Northern Challenge Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie.

The winner of the Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m) and Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) was set to contest last year’s Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), but those dreams were dashed after he was withdrawn on veterinary advice, and he wasn’t sighted publicly until a 1100m trial at Ellerslie last month where he finished third behind Group One winner Provence.

Ritchie said the son of Kitten’s Joy has thrived during his hiatus from racing and he was rapt with his resuming trial.

“It has been a long road back,” he said. “He now looks like an open sprinter, he has put natural muscle on. We have given him a lot of required time, most of it partly because he can’t handle wet ground.”

Ritchie doesn’t expect his charge to be competitive over a mile this weekend but said it will help him progress towards some staying targets in the coming months.

“I am looking forward to him getting back to the racetrack, but I will expect him to be uncompetitive in those first couple of runs that he has as he works up over those further distances,” Ritchie said.

“He holds a nomination for the Wellington Cup (Gr.3, 3200m), which he would need everything to go 100 percent right on fitness levels, but his main goal will be the Auckland Cup to try and do what he did last year.”

Mahrajaan will be met on Saturday by stablemate Nereus (NZ) (Savabeel), who will be second-up after running fifth over 1400m at Tauranga earlier this month.

“He had his first run a couple of weeks ago and he is working towards those summer cups,” Ritchie said.

“Nereus is a lovely horse. He has won a couple of Cups for us and this is just a stepping stone. I am sure we will get him to 2000m in a race like the Awapuni Gold Cup (Gr.2, 2100m), which he has won before.

“He didn’t really run the two miles out in the Wellington Cup, so we have stayed away from that extreme distance. Over 2000 to 2400m he will find his niche area right through the summer and autumn.”

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