Great Easter Stakes looming for The Radiant One

The Radiant One finished third in last year’s Listed Daphne Bannan Memorial Great Easter Stakes (1400m) and trainer Robert Dennis is keen to try and go two places better with his mare in this year’s edition at Riccarton on ANZAC Day.

The seven-year-old daughter of Darci Brahma will ready for that assignment when she heads to her local track of Ascot Park on Sunday to contest the Editor’s Cut Sports Bar Handicap (1200m).

She has been freshened since her last start unplaced run in the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge Weight For Age (1600m) at Wingatui in February, and Dennis is pleased with the way she is tracking and believes Sunday’s run will have her in top order for the Great Easter Stakes.

“Her last run was in the White Robe, so she has had a freshen-up and drops back to 1200m, which she seems to like,” Dennis said.

“She likes running at Invercargill too and we hope to get her up to Riccarton six days later for the Great Easter.”

She will be met on Sunday by stablemate Ziggy Stardust, who Dennis said will lap up the wet track conditions, with Ascot Park rated a Heavy9 on Friday morning.

“She should like the heavy ground,” Dennis said. “It is a step up in company to open class but she has been performing consistently other than when we had a go at the Group Three (South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes, 1600m) at Riccarton.

“She has a nice, light weight with Triston (Moodley) on and I would like to think she will be thereabouts.”

Dennis will be keeping a close eye on the long-range weather forecast for Christchurch on ANZAC Day, which will dictate whether Stolen Magic contests the Ascot Sports Bar Handicap (2215m) alongside stablemate Accidental Tourist on Sunday.

“We are undecided whether we will run (Stolen Magic) or not,” Dennis said. “I am just keeping an eye on the forecast up at Riccarton for her too. She has been carded with a fair bit of weight to lump around (on Sunday), even with the claim. She is not a big mare, so we will just see.

“If she does run, she loves running at Invercargill and performs very well on Heavy tracks, so you would have to think she will be a good chance.

“Accidental Tourist is dropping back in company from the Riverton Cup last time. He just never got into the race on that heavily leader bias track, so we have put a line through that. He goes very well on the Heavy as well. He is pretty fit and seasoned and with the two kilos off from Alan Lai (apprentice jockey) I expect him to go well too.”

Dennis may have a three-pronged attack in the Waxy’s Irish Pub Handicap (1600m) courtesy of Lemon Curd, Vino Valentino and Champagne Linda, however, the latter may be saved for six days later for the Great Easter Stakes.

“There’s a question over whether we run her (Champagne Linda) on the Heavy track. We might consider having a shot at the Easter with her,” Dennis said.

“Lemon Curd went really well at Riverton with blinkers on for the first time and just went a bit keen in patches. Elen Nicholas hops back onboard and she has had a win on Lemon Curd at Invercargill before. It just depends on how Heavy it will be whether she handles that or not.

“Vino Valentino should cop it (wet track) really well. She went two terrific races at Riverton over Easter and I think she is going to be pretty hard to beat.”

Earlier on the card, The Blue Diamond will be seeking to breakthrough for her maiden win in the Ashford Motor Lodge Maiden (1400m) after two recent placings.

“Heavy for her is a real question,” Dennis said. “If it were a Soft6 I would be very confident, but it is that time of year where the weather has really turned and we are only going to get into the Heavier tracks, so we have got to look at probably trying her on it.

“She has come back a stronger horse this season and I think she will be a stronger horse next season too.”

Dennis is also looking forward to Surprise Inside making her debut for the stable in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1200m), although he said track conditions will also dictate whether she takes her place.

“Surprise Inside is new to the stable,” Dennis said. “She was Dennis Brothers bred out of The Lustre, who we trained to run third in the 1000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m).

“She certainly has got ability and we will see what the track is like on Sunday morning as to whether we run or not. I quite like her.”

Earlier this week, Dennis was active at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Online Yearling Sale where he secured two fillies.

“We did a bit of homework from afar and settled on what I think are a couple of really good value horses,” he said. “We bought an Armory filly out of Irish Girl, a stakes-winning mare, for $5,000 for a stable client and a nice, strong War Decree filly that looks like she will be up and running and hopefully competitive in the three-year-old races, and she will be up for syndication.”

Meanwhile, Dennis is excited about the prospects of three-year-old gelding The Blackadder after he won his 1000m trial at Ashburton on Friday.

“He is a lovely three-year-old gelding by Ancient Spirit out of a multiple stakes-winning mare. He was a good winner at the trials today and I think he is a pretty serious horse,” Dennis said. “We will see how he comes through it and consider our options.”