Ritchie seeking fourth NZ Oaks crown
The Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) may have a new home, but Cambridge horseman Shaune Ritchie is hoping his strong record in the race continues as he seeks his fourth title in the race on Saturday.
To be run at Ellerslie for the first time this weekend, the New Zealand Oaks was previously contested at Trentham where Ritchie won three editions of the fillies’ classic with Keep The Peace (NZ) (Keeper) (2010), Artistic (NZ) (Darci Brahma) (2012) and Jennifer Eccles (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) (2020).
Ritchie, and training partner Colm Murray, will be represented in this year’s edition by The Oaks Stud’s Tajana (NZ) (Darci Brahma), and while pleased with his filly, history tells him she will have her work cut out for her this weekend.
“It is a race that we like to target with our fillies, and we have got a filly who is going to be in the thick end of things on Saturday,” Ritchie said.
“We have had horses going into the race in the past who looked the dominant filly, and the dominant filly generally wins the Oaks. That is why it is such a good race because it usually throws up the best filly. Unfortunately, Ohope Wins (NZ) (Ocean Park) looks the dominant filly.
“Having said that, this filly’s demeanour and temperament is probably better than any of those other fillies we have won with – Keep The Peace, Jennifer Eccles and Artistic. All of them had to mellow a little bit to run the trip out and we had to tweak their training in some way, whereas this filly just trains herself, she has got a wonderful demeanour and a lovely nature.
“It is rare in any race to step a horse up over ground and put blinkers on, but that is our faith in how well she will settle. Obviously, we won’t be able to drive her out of the gates with the blinkers on. She is probably going to settle in the back half of the field, and if that is the case she will attack the line strong.”
Following her unplaced run in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November, Ritchie said they gave her an intentionally light lead in to the Oaks, with just the two runs, including placing in the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (2100m) at Te Rapa earlier this month, and he said she is thriving ahead of Saturday’s 2400m test.
“When we came back from Christchurch we deliberately missed the Ellerslie carnival with this Oaks in mind,” he said.
“I don’t think we will get her in any better order, she looks fantastic. She will peak on Saturday.
“She is certainly not going into the race on tired legs, which is a major plus. In the past we have had fillies that have dominated the series from the beginning who have won this race, and we have looked for ways to freshen them up, and in this case we have just been able to keep the foot gently on the pedal all the way through.”
Ritchie is also looking forward to lining up last-start Gr.3 Aotearoa Classic (1600m) winner Tuxedo (NZ) (Tivaci) in the Gr.1 Sport Nation Otaki Maori WFA Classic (1600m).
It will be the four-year-old gelding’s third tilt at weight-for-age, following unplaced runs in the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) and Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) last spring, and while Ritchie believes Tuxedo is a horse for the future, he is looking forward to seeing how he measures up against his seasoned opposition this weekend.
“There will be no negative from his performance last time, he will produce the same performance. It’s hard to say he has improved again but I am sure he will put up the same effort,” Ritchie said.
“The issue of course is going from four-year-olds, and I think they are a strong bunch of four-year-olds, to weight-for-age level.
“In the spring we just fell short, not by much, but we feel he is a little stronger on his autumn form and we are hoping that will cover it. He was a little bit unlucky in his weight-for-age runs but I don’t think he would have won either, even with even luck.
“We are dealing with a bit of a strong animal and there is a lot of respect for our weight-for-age horses over the last couple of years, we have had those two great mares – La Crique (NZ) (Vadamos) and Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) – and they have been dominant and are going off to be broodmares next season.
“Then you have got the likes of Waitak (NZ) Proisir) and El Vencedor (NZ) (Shocking) who seem evergreen horses, but it is hard to imagine there is any improvement in them. You get what you have got with them heading into next season and we see him as a weight-for-age star for the next couple of years.
“We are excited to have him over the next two years, but whether he is up to those hardened warriors right now, I guess we will find out on Saturday.”
The stable will also be represented by Mahrajaan (Kitten's Joy) and Nereus (NZ) (Savabeel) in the Gr.3 Eagle Technology Avondale Cup (2400m), with the former bidding to win back his Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m) crown next month, having won the two-mile feature two years ago.
“I just don’t think Mahrajaan gets warm until he gets to the two miles,” Ritchie said. “We are waiting to put the blinkers on him in the Auckland Cup, so that will be his peak performance. We are expecting him to go super in that race, but he is likely to be uncompetitive (on Saturday).
“From that draw (18) we are going to be forced to ride him cold and he is unlikely to sprint home in the times he needs to in order to be competitive on Saturday.
“Nereus is the forgotten horse a bit, I think he is overs. His last run at Ellerslie he ran El Vencedor and Mary Shan (NZ) (Almanzor) very close and his last start at weight-for-age he had the second fastest last 200m of the race.
“He is going in good form. He is racing well without getting a lot of luck and I just feel from gate seven he is going to get a nice trip somewhat handy. He is well capable of taking a race like this out.
“He is down in the weights again, which is going to be a big advantage to him. He might be one for longer odds from our runners over the weekend.”
Ritchie is excited about the prospects of his promising juvenile Summer Schemer (Dirty Work), who will make her debut in the Eagle Charters 1100, having won both of her lead-in trials.
“There is some terrific trial form,” Ritchie said. “She ran the quickest time of those trial winners at Ellerslie two weeks ago, so that is encouraging for us. She sat three-wide and pricked her ears on the line, so it is hard to tell where the bottom of her is.
“She is tidy in track work without being blistering so you think she would get a little further than the 1100m as well.
“They have given us a gift barrier (1), so we will obviously be using that.”
The daughter of Dirty Work holds a nomination for the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and Ritchie said she will head towards the Trentham feature if she measures up on Saturday.
“We nominated her for the Sires’ Produce before she even trialled, so we have got a healthy opinion of her,” he said. “But you have got to measure up to these better ones. I feel the 1100m may just fall a little short, but if she can get a soft run on the fence and she is attacking the line then that will justify her spot, and we will certainly look for another run to head into that Group One race.”
Further south at Otaki, Ritchie will line-up just the one runner, but he believes Andahar (NZ) (Savabeel) is the stable’s best bet of the day in the Otaki Tyre Repairs Handicap (1600m).
“He is probably the best bet of the day for us because it is the least competitive race,” he said. “It is so hard to win at Ellerslie on a Group One day, and in all of those races there is not going to be much between first and eighth.
“I know he has got a tricky gate (13), but he is a real Savabeel, he keeps getting better with his racing and he ran into a very good one last time in the CD. He looks really well placed there and if he drew well I am sure he probably would have been $2.50 and not $5.
“I like the fact that he has got that claim as well. He has a good, strong apprentice with Sam (McNab) on, getting three kilos off.”
