On The Prowl with Winter Cup audition at Tauranga

[Wandering Eyes]

On The Prowl will line up at Tauranga on Saturday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)

Cambridge trainer Ralph Manning is happy to give On The Prowl her chance to convince him she’s worthy of a shot at next month’s Group 3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton when she races at Tauranga this weekend.

The Contributer four-year-old mare will tackle the aptly-sponsored Contributer Standing At Mapperley Stud 1600 on Saturday, the four-win mare joined in the race by stablemate Above The Clouds.

Online bookmakers have installed On The Prowl as a +260 final field favourite, with Above The Clouds quoted at +900.

“I am very happy with them both. On The Prowl seems to be flying and Above The Clouds is very well too. The improving track will help On The Prowl,” Manning said.

Manning, who also owns On The Prowl, has been pleased with the favourite’s form, which has seen her win at Avondale between stakes runs for second in the Group 3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) and fifth in the Listed Tauranga Classic (1400m) at Hastings.

“It was a bit of a tricky race, that,” Manning said of the Tauranga Classic, won by Flower Of Wanaka.

“A one-win horse having its 17th start won and a 65-rater ran third. It was a tricky track and all the roughies popped up. She ran second to Wessex in the Group Three (Rotorua Stakes) and Wessex finished alongside her at Hastings.

“Our mare is tough and the mile is going to be better for her too. We were just keeping her at the 1400m because I wanted to have a go at the Tauranga Classic but the 1600m should suit her way better.

“She’s in pretty well anyway. She gets the two-kilo mares allowance and Tayla (Mitchell, apprentice jockey) takes another two off so she’s lighter than what she could be carrying anyway.”

On The Prowl is at +3000 for the Winter Cup but Manning is keen to give her the opportunity if she races well on Saturday.

“We’ll just see what she does at Tauranga. She’d have to be pretty good to warrant carting down there, but she goes on every track condition and it’s definitely on the radar,” Manning said.

“I bought her as a weanling. She’s out of an O’Reilly mare and as a damsire he’s got a record of 6 percent stakes winners-to-runners, so statistically I’ve put the odds on my side.

“She’s got a good pedigree behind her and with the value of our broodmares now, if you do get a bit of stakes form, it’s really worthwhile.”

Manning shares in the ownership of Above The Clouds with his accountant and good mate Tony Coombes.

“Tony and I have raced a lot of good horses together – Pump Up The Volume, Civics Rocks and a few other nice ones,” Manning said.

“It looks a good race for her. She’s in with a light weight and she’s best ridden cold and with the small field, there’s not too many to come around. She’s got a good rider (Sam Spratt) too.”

Manning’s other runners at Tauranga, the venue for Saturday’s meeting after the scheduled Rotorua meeting was transferred because of track conditions, are Fonteyn in the feature Mills Reef Winery 1200, debutante California Gold, Liquid Fire and Stand Tall.

“Moving Rotorua to Tauranga has played against me a bit because all of mine are Rotorua specialists. Fonteyn is a track specialist there and both of Above The Clouds’ wins have come there,” Manning said.

“Fonteyn has won three or four at Rotorua but she’s got class and she should be in the mix. She’s got Tayla on and Tayla gets her out and running.”

Manning bought California Gold for $1500 off gavelhouse.com as a horse he could get up and going with a view to selling, though news of racing finishing up in Singapore next year could mean his future may be in New Zealand.

“He trialled up well. In his first trial, he couldn’t do any more than win and in his second trial he ran second to a good horse (Spielberg) who had raceday form. He’s a nice, neat horse,” Manning said.

“Liquid Fire is just new to our stable but I quite like him. He’ll make a nice 2000m horse in time.”

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