O’Riordan on song for Beaumont Publican’s Cup

[Wandering Eyes]

Last start victor O’Riordan (NZ) (Proisir) will trek south to Wingatui from her Timaru base on Sunday in a bid to add to her winning haul in the Mosgiel Tavern Beaumont Publican’s Cup (1500m).

The six-year-old daughter of Proisir was building towards that winning result last week, having finished runner-up at Riccarton at her previous start, and trainer Stephanie Faulkner said she has bounced through the run, which has given her the confidence to back her up this weekend.

“I don’t normally back her up this quick, but she was messing around in the paddock like she had recovered really well from her last run,” Faulkner said. “She was out there bucking and carrying on so I thought it wouldn’t hurt her to go again.”

O’Riordan will jump from barrier 10 with Central Districts jockey Leah Hemi aboard, and Faulkner said she will be ridden positively from her wide alley.

“She will just roll forward and if something else wants to take the lead she is happy just to sit on its hindquarters,” Faulkner said. “On the other hand, if no one wants to go, she is happy to go to the front too.”

Faulkner hasn’t made any set plans with O’Roirdan post her weekend run but said she will likely go out for a freshen-up.

“She has been up a wee while, so she just may have a freshener and look for something else in another month or so,” she said.

Meanwhile, Faulkner is looking forward to heading to Riverton next month with Smooth Operator (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) to line-up in the Riverton Cup (2147m). It is the final leg of the Southern Cups Bonus Series where a $50,000 winner takes all bonus is up for grabs.

Smooth Operator currently sits in third position on five points behind Noble Knight (NZ) (Ghibellines) (eight points) and In Vegas (NZ) (Telperion) (seven points), with double points on the line in the Riverton Cup.

The gelding won the second leg of the series, the Invercargill Gold Cup (2600m), and was a beaten favourite in the Listed Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m) last month when fifth, but Faulkner said a post-race examination found he had an infection.

“He took half an hour to recover after the Dunedin Cup, and he is usually very clean-winded, so we knew something wasn’t quite right,” Faulkner said.

“He had a bit of a respiratory tract infection, and we have treated him for that.

“Outwardly you would think there is nothing wrong with him, but not until they race and get under that pressure you find out these things.

“He is very well so I am looking forward to that Riverton final with him.”

Faulkner is also excited about the stable’s top-rated horse Richard Stomper’s (NZ) (El Roca) return to the trials after undergoing surgery following a race fall last year.

“He is going to trial at the next lot of trials,” she said. “He had that accident on the 27^th of September, and he was operated on and he has had a long, slow build-up for his first trial. I am really happy with him.”

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