Wessex chasing Opunake Cup success

[Wandering Eyes]

Wessex will contest the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) at New Plymouth on Saturday. Photo: Trish Dunell

Trainer Andrew Forsman is hunting more black-type with Wessex when she heads south to New Plymouth on Saturday to tackle the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m).

The Turn Me Loose filly has already tasted stakes success, winning the Group 3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) in May, but she is out for redemption after fading to finish fourth after setting at hot tempo upfront in the transferred Listed Tauranga Classic (1400m) at Hastings earlier this month.

Forsman has been pleased with the way she has come through the run and is expecting her to bounce back to her best at New Plymouth this weekend.

“She has come through it really well. It is hard travelling and copping races on testing tracks, but she seems to be coping with it really well,” he said.

With 101-rated gelding Justaskme in the field, Wessex won’t get as much weight relief from the majority of her rivals as Forsman would have liked.

“With him (Justaskme) condensing the weights, it doesn’t help her as much, she is not getting weight off Deerfield and other well performed horses that she probably should be getting weight off,” he said.

“It does make it a little bit tough, but it is nice to drop back to 53kg.”

Wessex will jump from barrier 14 and will be ridden by leading jockey Michael McNab.

“It (barrier) is probably okay for her. On wet ground it is not too much of a disadvantage to be drawn out wide,” Forsman said.

“She will naturally roll forward and put herself in the race at some point. Being out there means she can do it in her own time.”

Wessex has been installed a $4 favourite for Saturday’s feature, with Justaskme on the second line of betting at +380.

Forsman doesn’t having any set plans for Wessex after the weekend but hasn’t ruled out a trip across the Tasman to join his Macedon Lodge barn.

“It (Opunake Cup) has always been the intermediary target, just to chip away and get as much black-type on the board as we can,” Forsman said.

“She has had a few tough races and a fair bit of travelling, so we will have to keep that in-mind and just see how she comes through it.

“That (Australia) would be up to the ownership group, it is certainly a possibility. We have to just make sure there are the right races for her. She would have to run really well on Saturday to justify that.”

Forsman is also excited about the prospects of last start winner Turn The Ace at Tauranga on Saturday.

“Elen (Nicholas, jockey) did a great job on him last start and it is a shame she can’t stick with him,” Forsman said.

“We couldn’t really have him going around carrying 60-kilos and Donovan (Cooper) has been doing a little bit of work for us recently, so it is good to reward him.

“He will effectively go around and only carry half a kilo more than he did to win last time. He does look pretty well placed.”

Meanwhile, Forsman is looking forward to sending some reinforcements over to his Macedon Lodge barn in the coming weeks.

The Cambridge conditioner trialled four juveniles at Cambridge on Tuesday, including Group One performer Aprilia, with the quartet set to campaign in Melbourne this spring.
“They are four nice horses that we are trying to get up and get a line on,” Forsman said.

“All going well they will head to Melbourne in the next week or so and hopefully campaign over there.

“Those rising three-year-olds are best placed over there at this stage and then there are a few here that will have a couple of runs and perhaps head over later.”

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