Rooke opts for Miss Magnetica in Soliloquy
Miss Magnetica (NZ) (Contributer) turned plenty of heads when dashing home from the back of the pack to win her maiden at Ellerslie last month, and she will now get the opportunity to test her talent at stakes level at the Auckland track this weekend.
The daughter of Contributer was unplaced in her previous two starts but had shown plenty of ability at home, and trainer Hollie Elliot was pleased to see her translate that to raceday success last month.
“The fashion in which she won, when they come from last like that, they can always turn a few heads and look pretty impressive,” Elliot said.
“She has always shown a bit of ability at home. Phill Cataldo bought her out of the Ready to Run Sale, and he has got a great eye for a horse. He has picked a good one there.”
Miss Magnetica has shortened into $10 for next month’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton, and a pleasing result in Saturday’s Gr.2 Windsor Park Stud Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) will book her ticket south.
She has drawn barrier 10 and Elliot is hoping she can run over the top of her rivals once more.
“I am not too worried about the draw, I think she needs clear running,” she said. “From 10 we will just go back where she is happy and there is a bit of speed out wide with She’s No Saint (Prague) and Phillyjean (NZ) (Hello Youmzain).
“She is going to be coming from the back, like she does, but I am hoping she is good enough to get over the top of them, but if not, I am sure she will be very strong late.”
Jockey George Rooke has elected to stay on Miss Magnetica in favour of the Michelle Bradley-trained She’s No Saint, who he rode to victory in the Gr.3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), and Elliot has taken plenty of confidence from his decision.
“She has probably given him a really nice feel,” she said. “He has won a stakes race on She’s No Saint, so it definitely gave us a lot of confidence when he chose to stick with the ship.
“Safely through this, and as long as she goes a good race and pulls up well, we will head down to Riccarton and have a go at the Group One.”
Miss Magnetica could be joined on the trip south by stablemate Angels Halo (NZ) (Proisir), who has come through her fourth placing in the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) in fine fettle.
“I couldn’t be happier with her,” Elliot said. “She is just flying and has bounced through the race. She is a grunty girl in a boy’s body, she eats everything and she is a bit like Archaic Smile (NZ) (Saxon Warrior) – just a big, heavy girl.
“She had her first gallop since then this (Thursday) morning with Miss Magnetica, and they had a nice, easy breeze, and they both did it really easy. I am looking forward to her next start in the Sarten (Gr.2, 1400m).”
Elliot has also been pleased with the return of her last start stakes winner Archaic Smile, who placed in her resuming trial over 1050m at Tauranga on Wednesday, and is on track to kick off her campaign in the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m) at Te Rapa on November 7.
“She had a good three-month spell, and she has taken a bit to get the weight off her,” Elliot said. “She trialled superb yesterday and she had a good blow, so that will bring her on even more. I can’t wait to see her over those sprint trips over summer.”
Meanwhile, Elliot has farewelled exciting debut winner Unleash Yourself (NZ) (Turn Me Loose), who will continue his racing career in Hong Kong following his recent sale.
“He has been sold to Hong Kong and he goes into quarantine on Monday,” she said. “It is a bit of a shame because he is looking like a pretty promising horse and he could have been quite handy here, but we have got to make money sometimes, so he is heading up to Hong Kong.” - Joshua Smith
Lara Antipova on song for Thousand Guineas
Kiwi Group One winner Lara Antipova (Russian Revolution) will test her talent at elite level in Australia for the first time when she heads to Caulfield on Saturday to tackle the Gr.1 Thousand Guineas (1600m).
The Fortuna Racing filly has had three starts from Te Akau’s Cranbourne base this spring, highlighted by an impressive win in the Listed Michael Moroney (1400m) at Flemington last month, which was bookended by unplaced runs at Caulfield.
She raced keenly when finishing fourth off a sedate pace in the Gr.2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) three weeks ago, and trainer Mark Walker is hoping for a more genuinely run contest this weekend.
“That last race was slowly run and she just got pulling a bit,” he said. “In hindsight, she might have been better rolling forward. They only ran 1:37.5 for the mile, so I just hope it is truly run on Saturday.”
Lara Antipova will have her fourth jockey in as many starts this weekend with the booking of leading Australian hoop Craig Williams, and Walker is hoping he can help turn the filly’s luck around at the Melbourne track.
“Craig has had a lot of luck for us over the years, so we are really happy with that booking,”” Walker said. “She always jumps so cleanly, I think it (barrier nine) gives us options.”
Stablemate and fellow Group One winner Geegees Mistruth (Wordsmith) will drop back in grade to the Listed Alinghi Stakes (1100m) on Saturday, having finished fifth in Group One company in her first two starts this preparation.
“She had two really good fifths in the Group Ones and we just thought we would try to get her back in winning form,” Walker said. “She has got top weight (61kg), but it is a drop in class.”
Group Two performer I Am Aria (I Am Invincible) will step up to 1400m for the first time in the Listed Gothic Stakes following her runner-up effort in the Gr.3 Scarborough Stakes (1200m) three weeks ago.
“We thought now is the time to try her at 1400m,” Walker said. “She is well-weighted in that considering her rating, and if she can run out the 1400m, she should be a nice chance. There is just a slight query on that distance because she is pretty brilliant.”
Back in New Zealand, promising filly Asturia (NZ) (Almanzor) will be on trial for a tilt at next month’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton when she contests the Gr.2 Windsor Park Stud Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie on Saturday.
The daughter of Almanzor beat a handy line-up on debut at the Auckland track last month and put in a bold effort against the boys when runner-up to Old Fashioned (NZ) (Proisir) in the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) at Hastings three weeks ago.
“She is a very promising filly and pretty much untapped,” said Walker, who trains in partnership with Sam Bergerson in New Zealand. “She has had that maiden win around Ellerslie, so I am looking forward to seeing what she does.
“She just had to wait a little bit to get the gap in the Hawke’s Bay Guineas, but fair play to the winner, they were just too good on the day.
“She has trained on nicely and I expect her to run well.”
Walker said they will wait to see how she comes through Saturday’s assignment before making any plans to head south.
“We will just get through Saturday first and see how she is,” he said. “She is quite a big, lanky filly, so we have just got to see what condition she has on her still after Saturday.”
Meanwhile, stablemate and current Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) favourite System Of Play (Ole Kirk) pleased in his exhibition gallop over 1000m alongside Day One (Wootton Bassett) at Tauranga on Wednesday.
Unbeaten in his two starts to date, including over 1400m at Ellerslie last month, System Of Play heads the 2000 Guineas market at $4, and jockey Michael McNab couldn’t have been happier with his work on Wednesday.
“He’s got a great brain, but so casual, I had to click him up to work alongside,” he said. “I’m rapt with him. I think he’s come on since his first-up win, which feels like it’s really switched him on to his job. It was a good, sharp, piece of work.”
System Of Play will now progress to the Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) at Te Rapa on Labour Day before heading to Christchurch for the Guineas. - Joshua Smith
Sweynesse switch a silver lining for Jaarffi
An abandoned meeting is never an ideal starting point in a new campaign, but trainer Lance Noble is looking on the bright side as he prepares Group One-winning mare Jaarffi (NZ) (Iffraaj) for her delayed return to racing in Saturday’s Gr.3 Sweynesse Stakes at Ellerslie.
Originally scheduled for Rotorua last Sunday, the 1215-metre Sweynesse was set to be Jaarffi’s first start since finishing fourth in the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes on March 7. However, a horse slipped just after the finish line in the third race of the programme, causing the rest of the meeting to be abandoned. As it happens, the horse that slipped was Sovrana (NZ) (Reliable Man), who – like Jaarffi – races in the Cambridge Stud colours and had Warren Kennedy in the saddle.
“It was a bit of a wasted float trip, which wasn’t ideal, but these things happen,” Noble told RaceForm on Tuesday. “You’d hate for it to be your horse that slipped and possibly fell over and hurt itself.
“Jaarffi has got a lot better with travelling these days, and going to Rotorua and back in the truck probably isn’t all that different to a gallop, which she would have done on the Saturday morning anyway.
“It’s great that they’ve been able to reschedule the race for Ellerslie this Saturday. We’re not losing the black-type race, which is so important. And if there’s an upside to it all from our point of view, having the race at Ellerslie will definitely suit her a lot better with the great record she has at the track.”
Jaarffi has raced only once before at Rotorua, finishing seventh in last year’s edition of the Sweynesse. In contrast, her 10 starts at Ellerslie have produced three wins and three placings, headed by a win in the Gr.1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic and placings in the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic and New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes.
Noble gave a glowing report on the way Jaarffi is shaping up for her new campaign.
“She’s a lot stronger this year,” he said. “As a seven-year-old, I think she’s finally matured. She’s taken a while, but mentally and physically, she’s coming up the best this spring that we’ve ever had her.
“The plan is to follow a similar path to last year. We weren’t tempted by the early races. It’s not easy with mares like her in the early spring, and especially when it’s such a long season and you want to get them all the way through to March. We’ll look at the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes next month and then head into weight-for-age racing around Christmas time.”
Noble is also pleased with his last-start Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes runner-up Liguria (NZ) (Snitzel), who will line up in Saturday’s Gr.2 Windsor Park Stud Soliloquy Stakes.
“She ran a super race in the Gold Trail,” he said. “She was a bit fidgety in the gates, caught it on the wrong foot when they opened and probably ended up one or two spots further back than we might have liked.
“But the way she pushed her way out and really attacked the line, it was a good learning experience for her.
“We’ve been happy with her in between times. The three-year-old fillies are looking very strong, as usual, but she’s shown that she really likes Ellerslie, and I think that’s a big help for a young horse if they’ve been around there before and like the track.”
Noble’s other runners at Ellerslie on Saturday are State Of Valour (NZ) (Sword Of State), Mollify (NZ) (So You Think) and Showgirl (NZ) (Darci Brahma).
“We’re going back to basics with State Of Valour and dropping down to maiden company,” Noble said. “He didn’t have a long time off between two and three. We tried for a couple of early-season stakes races, which didn’t quite work out and he hadn’t really bloomed. We gave him a little break after Hastings and he looks a lot better in his coat now.
“He shows a lot on the training track and has run some good races in strong company, but he just needs to put it all together a bit more consistently. Again, he has a good record at Ellerslie.
“Mollify has come back nice and strong. She’ll need to get up to a mile and 2000 metres pretty quickly, but I think she can run a bold race over 1400 metres fresh.
“Showgirl was a good fourth on debut. It’s not easy up against older horses in these maiden races that have a bit of form in them, but she’s a filly we have a lot of time for. Whether or not it happens this weekend, we think she’ll go through the grades this season.” - Richard Edmunds (trackside.co.nz)
Derby option on the table for Miss Waititi
A potential tilt at the Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) is on the cards for promising filly Miss Waititi (NZ) (Circus Maximus), with her performance in Saturday's Gr.3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield set to determine her spring programme.
Prepared by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, Miss Waititi has emerged as a staying prospect following her victory in the Listed Super Impose Stakes (1800m) at Flemington on October 3, where she handled Heavy 10 conditions to score at just her third raceday appearance.
While the Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2500m) remains an obvious target, Price has not ruled out taking on the colts and geldings in the Victoria Derby at Flemington on October 31.
"We have a small thought of running her in this year's Victoria Derby," Price said.
"Fillies don't do it much, but does it matter, because you can go Ethereal and then two weeks to the Derby, otherwise, we go to the Wakeful (Stakes, same day as the Derby) and then back up into the Oaks.
"It is only a thought at this stage, so it will all be determined after what she does on Saturday."
A Derby appearance would see Miss Waititi attempt to end a lengthy drought for fillies in the staying feature.
Only 13 fillies have won the Victoria Derby since its inception in 1855, with Frances Tressady (Tressady) the most recent in 1923. Born To Be Queen (NZ) (In The Purple) was the last filly to place in 1985, while no filly has contested the race this century.
Price said the Oaks had initially emerged as a possible target following discussions with part-owner Tim Porter, prompting the decision to step Miss Waititi up in distance at Flemington.
"I had a chat to Tim Porter about her, and he said is there any possibility of her being a VRC Oaks filly," Price said.
"If she was to be an Oaks filly, then this is what we had to do with her.
"She could not have won the Edward Manifold on that day (at Flemington), so we went to the 1800-metre and she won.
"It was Listed so she's got that status, and now we know what she can do."
With just three starts behind her, Miss Waititi remains relatively inexperienced, but her latest performance has given Price confidence she could develop into a genuine staying contender.
Saturday's Ethereal Stakes will provide another important test as the stable weighs up whether to tackle the Derby or follow the more traditional path through the Gr.2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) into the Oaks on November 5.
"I know it was a lesser race, but what will be in the VRC Oaks and even the Derby.
"We'll get to know more on Saturday." - NZ Racing Desk
NZ Racing Desk
Paul Vettise
Paul Vettise
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