Shailer pair on song for Te Rapa
Like many trainers in the north, Kris Shailer is keeping a close eye on the weather forecast as Cyclone Vaianu gets set to rear its ugly head over the weekend.
While downgraded to a category two, the cyclone is still set to hit New Zealand on Sunday at midday, with New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and Waikato Thoroughbred Racing monitoring the situation to decide if Sunday’s Te Rapa meeting goes ahead.
If it does, Shailer will head to Hamilton with two contenders, including $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) runner Convinced (NZ) (Super Seth), who will be fresh-up in the NZB National Online Yearling Sale 14 April 3YO (1200m).
The daughter of Super Seth won on debut at Matamata in January before running eighth in the Gr.3 Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) and tailed the field home in the NZB Kiwi on Champions Day a month ago.
“She is pretty tough and has come through the Kiwi well,” Shailer said. “She had two weeks in the paddock after that for a bit of a freshen-up.
“We thought she has just had the three runs, we will drop her back to 1200m and see how we go on Sunday.
“She has got a good draw (3) and it is going to be a wet track if they go ahead. She doesn’t mind a wet track and the rail is out, which is always handy at Te Rapa when you are an on-speed runner.”
Stablemate Magice (NZ) (Savabeel) will also be in a fresh state when he contests the Power Farming Morrinsville 1200, having last raced when he won over 1200m at Pukekohe in November.
“He got quite crook after his Pukekohe win and took a good two to three weeks to get over that and then we gave him a break,” Shailer said.
“He goes into this pretty fresh without a trial under his belt, but I am really happy with him, we have poured enough work into him for him to be competitive, although he does step up to (rating) 75, which is a really hard grade.
“I am looking forward to seeing how he goes and it is great to have Michael McNab on.”
Meanwhile, Shailer said his Group Three-winning juvenile Justin Case (NZ) (Banquo) is enjoying time in the spelling paddock ahead of a three-year-old spring campaign.
The son of Banquo won two of his four starts for Shailer this season, including the Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m), and was fourth in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m).
“He has had a month in the paddock now and we might bring him in for a couple of weeks for a bit of trotting and cantering on the treadmill and then tip him out for another month before bringing him back for the spring,” Shailer said.
