Group Two performer to resume at Matamata
Group Two performer Quondo will resume this weekend when he heads to Matamata on Sunday to tackle the Team Wealleans 1200.
The three-year-old son of Wootton Bassett showed plenty of promise earlier this season when winning on debut in September before finishing runner-up in the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m), both on Heavy tracks.
He was unplaced in his next two runs before placing over a mile at Te Rapa in January and subsequently went out for a spell.
Trainer Andrew Forsman is looking forward to resuming him on a Heavy track this weekend, with Matamata rated a Heavy8 on Friday morning.
“He performed well on rain-affected surfaces and as the tracks got firmer he probably struggled a little bit and needed time to mature, which was the reasoning behind stopping when we did,” Forsman said.
“He has come back in good order, he is on the way up, we elected to only given him the one trial (won over 1100m at Pukekohe last week), so he will take good improvement out of it. I am looking forward to having him back at the races.
“We will just see how far we get with him and decide whether we give him a freshen-up and maybe do more with him in the springtime.”
A day prior at Te Rapa, stakes performer Twilight Tale will make her New Zealand debut in the See You @ Te Rapa Tavern 1400.
The four-year-old daughter of Savabeel won two of her 13 starts in Western Australia for trainer Michael Grantham and placed in the Listed Natasha Stakes (2200m) and Listed Ascot 1000 Guineas (1800m).
She was purchased by New Zealand-based syndicator Go Racing earlier this year out of Magic Millions’ Digital Sale in January for A$115,000 and was subsequently entrusted to the care of Forsman.
She has had two trials for the Cambridge horseman, including a runner-up effort over 1100m at Pukekohe last week, and he is looking forward to getting more of a line on her after her first-up run.
“She has had a couple of nice hit-outs at the trials. The first one was quiet and then I just wanted to see how she handles these winter surfaces,” Forsman said. “I don’t think she would have seen tracks like this in Perth.
“We will be on a bit of a fact-finding mission, maybe she only has one or two runs and then we freshen her for a spring preparation.
“She has got good ability, she has got a bit of black-type and has been in the mix in some three-year-old fillies’ company in Australia, so that is always nice and she is here to try and add some more to that CV.
“She does show good ability and we are hopeful she can slot into our pattern of racing here.”
Forsman will also be represented at Te Rapa by Force Of Nature in the Thanks Bernard Kneebone – 25 Years On The Clock 1200, and Desert Jewel in the RDA Charity Raceday @ Cambridge Wednesday 1400.
“Force Of Nature is going very well,” Forsman said. “I think it is the right race, I just think it is a shame we have ended up with the weight (60kg) we have. He is not an overly big horse and it will be interesting to see how he does handle carrying the big weight.
“Desert Jewel didn’t have much luck last start, she was held up at a vital time and from a good draw (2) hopefully she gets her chance. I think she is over the odds and capable of running top three.”
Forsman will also be represented by a trio of runners at Wanganui on Saturday, including promising juvenile Furston in the Wanganui Function Centre 2YO 1200.
“He was very green in his first start and then we elected to put the blinkers on straight away and that certainly helped him,” Forsman said. “He almost got to the front too soon at Tauranga and thought the job was done. Off a wide run too I thought it was a very game effort.
“He should be suited being back to his own age group.”
Stablemate Released will resume in the Manawatu-Whanganui Civil Contractors NZ Maiden 2YO & Up 1600, while Mr Mojo Risin’ will be seeking to bounce back to form in the Hirepool Open 1360 following a disappointing ninth placed in the Listed AGC Training Stakes (1600m).
“Released has come back in good order,” Forsman said. “Ultimately, we will need slower tracks than what he will strike on Saturday, but in a fresh state we think he will have the speed in his legs to be hard to beat.
“Mr Mojo Risin’ was disappointing last start, but I don’t know if he really ran out a strong mile. We have freshened him as much as we can on a relatively quick turnaround and I think back in trip helps.
“He has ended up quite high in the weights quite quickly and he is not an overly big horse. Like Force Of Nature, it will be interesting to see how he handles that.”
Meanwhile, Forsman said Group One performer Single Red has pulled up well following her season swansong in the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Eagle Farm last Saturday and will head for a well-deserved spell.
Her three-year-old season netted three wins and three placings from nine starts, including placings in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m), Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Filles Classic (2100m) and Listed Gold Coast Bracelet (1800m).
“I just think 2200m was always going to be the extent of her range,” Forsman said. “She covered a lot of ground trying to make her run off the back of a slow tempo and came to the end of it in the last couple of hundred, and Jason (Collett, jockey) just eased her down.
“She has pulled up fine, she will head home this weekend for a well-deserved break and she will come back and target some mares races and four-year-old races over a mile where I think she will be much better suited.”
