New trainer and new targets for Freddie Time
Freddie Time (NZ) (Time Test) will have a new trainer next to his name in the racebook this weekend, but Otaki horseman Howie Mathews said nothing has changed.
Formerly trained by Kelvin Tyler, who owns the gelding with his wife Vanessa, Feddie Time has been based this season in the Central Districts with Mathews, where he has won three of his 13 starts, and placed in the Gr.3 Manawatu Cup (2300m), Listed Marton Cup (2200m) and Listed ANZAC Mile (1600m).
Tyler believes the rising five-year-old gelding is better placed in the Central Districts and he has left him in Mathews’ care, however, the length of his stay has required an official change in trainer to Mathews.
“The powers to be said he had to go under my name as he had been away from home too long,” Mathews said. “Kelvin and I work close together and he lets me know what he wants the horse to do, we are hands on, and we are happy to work with Kelvin like that.”
Tyler and Mathews’ association goes back to Matamata more than 50 years ago when Mathews struck up a friendship with Tyler’s father, Ken.
“I rode his father’s first winner around 1970,” Mathews said. “Kelvin’s father, Ken, was a farmer and owner-trainer and he brought a horse into the track, and I could see he was having trouble getting someone to work him because everyone was busy, so I waltzed along one day and said I would work his horse for him. I rode him raceday, and I had a couple of seconds on him and a win.
“We became great friends over the years and I always kept in contact. I had a little farm, 50 acres, and whenever we had something to do like hay or home kill, the boys were always around helping. It has been a great relationship, they are like family really.
“I trained for his (Kelvin) brother, Allan, when he farmed up at Matamata. He is quite a prolific owner of Kelvin’s, they are both interested in horses and they breed a few. It works out really well.”
Kelvin Tyler is a frequent visitor to the Central Districts, where he uses Mathews’ Otaki stable as his base, and he has had plenty of success in the region, but most notably through Freddie Time, who has thrived in the north.
“Kelvin has brought up quite a few horses over the last three or four years and has done well with them,” Mathews said. “Freddie just loves being up here, he is such a neat horse to train, he is a blessing to have around.”
Mathews has been pleased with the way Freddie Time is building into his spring preparation, having finished runner-up in his 850m trial at Foxton earlier this month, and he will kick-off his campaign at his home track on Saturday in the Uzabus Handicap (1100m).
“He had a beautiful trial,” Mathews said. “Amber (Riddell, apprentice jockey) rode him and I said ‘don’t take any pace off him over 850m, just let him stroll along’. The winner won well but he just did everything in hand. He has come along really well since then and we are thrilled to bits with him.
“He is only getting one kilo off (with Amber Riddell’s claim), and with some of the horses on 54kg claiming, he is probably not suited that great weight-wise, but he will go a nice, honest race and it will steer him nicely. He has got some nice spring targets, so it is just one step at a time at the moment.”
Depending on how well Freddie Time progresses, he could be given his first crack at elite-level this spring.
“He will probably look at some of the spring distance races,” Mathews said. “If he comes up well enough, I think he could be a contender in a race like the Livamol (Gr.1, 2040m).”
Mathews will also be represented at Otaki by in-form gelding Craftsman, who broke through for his maiden victory at Woodville last month before running a creditable fourth over 2100m at Otaki a fortnight ago.
An $1,100 purchase off gavelhouse.com, Mathews has been pleased with his progression, and he believes the son of Alamosa can feature once more at his home track this weekend.
“He has been a bit of a revelation for a cheap horse, he has done well,” Mathews said. “His last start was amazing. I had to run him in a 75-rating race and he acquitted himself so well.
“He has really stepped his work up, he looks fantastic. It is a very competitive field and I think that any horse that can run in the first three will go on to be quite good horses. He will have to be on his game to be up there with those ones.”
Meanwhile, Mathews is enjoying the ride with another gavelhouse purchase in Weneedashock (NZ) (Shocking), who he bought off the online auction house for $6,250.
The son of Shocking won five races for Mathews before he transferred the gelding to the care of Awapuni trainers Shaun and Hazel Fannin with a jumping career in mind.
The rising eight-year-old made the perfect start in that discipline when winning his maiden hurdle at Te Aroha last month, and he will now return to the Waikato venue on Sunday to take on open company in the Comag Open Hurdle (3100m).
Weneedashock has had the one start on the synthetic in-between runs, where he placed over 2140m at Awapuni last week, and Mathews said some big targets could be instore for the gelding if he wins this weekend.
“When you are getting a horse ready for hurdle races, the mileage you have got to put into them to go 3100m over jumps just takes that shine off them for flat racing,” Mathews said. “He was coming back at them the other day, but he hit a flat spot and that is what cost him from being in there. I am sure he will be fit enough for Sunday.
“It is quite a tidy field on Sunday. Shaun is talking about the National for him if he won, I think there is a lot in front of him.” - Joshua Smith
Slow burner Pacifico aiming for winning Cup send-off
Pacifico (NZ) (Ardrossan) has always possessed the talent to make his mark at a high level, and it’s been patience that has been the key to him fulfilling that potential this preparation.
The rising six-year-old has enjoyed a lucrative season, which will draw to a close in Saturday’s Paul McGlade Taumarunui Gold Cup (2200m) at Te Rapa.
The son of Ardrossan has won three of his last seven starts, including success in the Listed Rotorua Cup (2200m) and finished third in the Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m).
“He showed ability right from the start, but disappointed us a bit early on and he’s needed a fair bit of time to mature,” trainer Andrew Forsman said.
Pacifico most recently finished third in The Winter Series Stayers’ Final (2100m) under apprentice Tom Wigram, who will again take the ride on Saturday, with his claim to reduce the gelding’s impost to 58kg.
“He’s going really well and is one of those horses that every time you think he’s found his level, he takes another step,” Forsman said.
“He’s got quite high in the handicap quite quickly, Tom rode him really well at Ellerslie and a slower track will make the claim more effective.
“We’ve kept him a bit fresh for Saturday, he’s had a long season but it’s a decent stake ($100,000) and probably the right sort of race to have one more go at.”
Stablemate Quondo (NZ) (Wootton Bassett) has also been in great touch and will bid to complete a hat-trick of wins when he runs in the Property Brokers Taumarunui 3YO (1400m).
The son of Wootton Bassett, who finished runner-up in the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) last spring, has been victorious at Matamata and Tauranga since resuming from a break.
“It’s his last opportunity to run against his own age group so that’s a big plus,” Forsman said.
“We’ll see how he performs on Saturday, he is thriving and looks really well, and we’ll race on at this stage, but we have no set plans.”
The stable has also accepted with a quartet of runners at Te Aroha on Sunday with Black Diamond (NZ) (El Roca) looking the pick of them after an encouraging start to her career.
The El Roca filly has placed in both of her appearances at Rotorua and Avondale, although Forsman is in two minds about her involvement.
“She has drawn poorly and we are 50-50 whether she runs, if the forecast is right the track will be very testing so there’s a question mark if she goes there,” he said. - Paul Vettise
Whiskey ‘N Roses seeking to maintain strong fresh-up record
Whiskey ‘N Roses (NZ) (Belardo) has a strong fresh-up record, and the Group Two performer will be out to keep that intact when he heads to Te Rapa on Saturday.
The rising five-year-old son of Belardo was runner-up on debut as a two-year-old before winning at his second start, and he continued his form into his three-year-old term where he bookended his season with wins and attained black-type when placing in the Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) and Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).
While he won first-up over 1200m at Te Rapa last September, his four-year-old season has been less memorable, having finished unplaced in his following four starts, and he hasn’t been sighted on raceday since his eighth placing behind subsequent Group One performer Sweynesday at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day.
“It was a muddled season and it just didn’t pan out, everything seemed to go wrong,” trainer Joanne Surgenor said. “At the beginning of the season, he had an awful stone bruise and it (season) never came together.”
Surgenor has put Whiskey ‘N Roses last preparation behind her and she is pleased with the way he has returned.
“He has really developed,” she said. “He is a lot stronger now, he has filled out and matured. I am really happy with him.”
Whiskey ‘N Roses had a 1000m trial at Ruakaka earlier this month where he finished runner-up behind the promising Rotten Tommy (NZ) (U S Navy Flag), who came out a week later to win his maiden at the Northland track, and Surgenor is looking forward to her stable star resuming in the John Callinan Memorial (1300m) this weekend.
“He had a nice trial at Ruakaka and he is looking really good,” she said. “He is fresh-up over 1300m on a Heavy track, so I am expecting him to go a nice race.”
While pleased with Whiskey ‘N Roses ahead of his first-up run, Surgenor said he faces a stiff task against a strong line-up and believes 1300m might be an ask for him so early in his preparation.
“A lot of them have been racing through winter and they are pretty seasoned,” she said. “1300m might be a bit of a stretch fresh, but we will see how he goes.”
Surgenor doesn’t have any set plans for Whiskey ‘N Roses, but she would like to extend him beyond sprint distances this season.
“We really want to get him to the mile this season,” she said. “But we will make some calls after this race and progress from there.” - Joshua Smith
NZ Racing Desk
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