Drop in class to favour Too Sweet at Wanganui
Group Two winner Too Sweet (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) will have her first run in rating 65 grade at Wanganui on Saturday and trainer Roydon Bergerson believes she will be hard to beat in the Rayner Racing (1360m).
The three-year-old daughter of Satono Aladdin burst onto the scene last season when winning on debut before taking out the Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) two runs later, which placed her among the favoured runners for the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m).
However, she drew the outside gate in the juvenile feature, which thwarted her chances, and that trend has continued in the majority of her subsequent runs, which have netted a series of midfield finishes and a third placing in the Listed Star Way Stakes (1200m).
She once again drew wide at Trentham last month where she finished eighth in a strong three-year-old field over 1200m, but Bergerson was happy enough with her run and said she was the victim of circumstance once again.
“She went really well the other day, she just got flushed three wide and Matt (Cartwright, jockey) said she was trying to mount a run and a horse rolled in on top of her a couple of hundred metres out and he just sat up on her, so she coasted to the line,” he said. “She has pulled up super.
“She is a good filly, she has just had no luck with the barrier draws.”
That luck has changed on Saturday, where she will jump from barrier six with apprentice jockey Jim Chung aboard, and with the significant drop back in grade, track conditions remain Bergerson’s only concern, with Wanganui rated a Heavy9 on Friday morning.
“My only concern is the track, but she has won on a Heavy track,” he said.
With winter fast approaching, Bergerson said this may be Too Sweet’s final run before heading for a spell.
“It depends on how the tracks are going to stay but we are looking at maybe going back to the paddock and bring her back for the spring,” he said.
Bergerson is also looking forward to lining up evergreen gelding Bradman (NZ)(Pins) in the Kevin Myers Stables Open (1360m).
The rising nine-year-old gelding is in the midst of his final preparation, with Bergerson aiming the son of Pins towards the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton in August, which will likely be his career swansong.
“He just wants the winter tracks, he has come up super,” Bergerson said. “The Winter Cup will probably be his last run ever, he is going to be nine, so we are just getting the miles into him through the winter and hopefully peak him for that and that will be his last start.”
While Bradman will appreciate Saturday’s track conditions, they may result in a delay to the start of stablemate High Rock’s career, with the juvenile trial winner set to make his debut in the Egan Racing 2YO (1200m).
“If it is very heavy I don’t know if I will run him,” Bergerson said.
Three-year-old Almanzor filly Lalume (NZ) will make her debut in the Fraser Auret Racing Maiden 2YO & Up (1360m) where she will be met by stablemate Punisher (NZ) (Staphanos).
“Lalume is quite smart and she has come along nicely,” Bergerson said. “She will probably go around, the Almanzors don’t mind the wet.
“She was quite nice in her trial, she sat three wide the whole way and ran away from them. She is a really nice filly going forward.
“Punisher has just taken a bit of time to mature. She is probably still six months away, but she is a nice mare going forward.”
Bergerson’s Wanganui team will be rounded out byOur Giulia (NZ)(Savabeel) in the Sportz Bar Remembering Nathan Caird “Nate Mate” 1600.
“She had no luck at Trentham the other day, Billy Pinn (jockey) said you could back her up tomorrow as she didn’t have a run,” he said. “She excels on the wet tracks so she is a smoky tomorrow.”
