Stakes assignments in the offing for promising filly
Stakes targets are in the offing for promising juvenile filly Shamelia Kirk (NZ) (Shamexpress) if she handles the Heavy going at Trentham on Wednesday when she contests the Let’s Keep Racing At Trentham Supporters Club 2YO Sprint (1000m).
Initially set to take place on Saturday, the meeting was postponed to Wednesday following heavy rain, which resulted in surface water on both the course proper and steeplechase course.
The daughter of Shamexpress was runner-up on debut over 1100m at Woodville on a Soft6 track in April, and with Trentham rated a Heavy10 on Monday morning, trainer Robbie Patterson is looking forward to testing her in the wet conditions ahead of next month’s Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) and Listed Courtesy Ford Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Otaki.
“I couldn’t be any happier with her,” Patterson said. “She jumped out at Stratford and went super. It will take a pretty good horse to beat her on Wednesday.
“At the moment she is thriving and happy, so if she can cop the Heavy track she will go to the Castletown and the Ryder.”
The New Plymouth filly will be joined on the float trip south by stablemate Sinbin (NZ) (Derryn), who will contest the Happy 70th Birthday Pat Baker (1200m) following her first-up fourth placing over 1200m at Otaki last month.
“She had a good fresh-up run,” Patterson said. “She has improved immensely with that, she was carrying a lot of beef, she had a long time off.
“With natural improvement she will have to be going close. She loves Wellington and loves the Heavy there. She will get back, get to the outside and hopefully win the race.”
Patterson’s Group Three performed filly Capaci (NZ) (Tivaci) was also set to line-up at Trentham on Saturday, however, with the meeting’s postponement the Taranaki horseman has elected to head to Wanganui with her this coming Saturday instead.
“We will go to Wanganui with her, it is not as much travel for her to go to Wanganui,” Patterson said.
Her weekend assignment over a mile will likely be her final run of the season, and Patterson is hoping to end it on a winning note after a frustrating run.
“We have had our niggles with her that have set her back,” Patterson said. “She got a bug in her leg after the Eulogy (Gr.3, 1600m) where she ran third and we have been on the back foot ever since.
“We are regrouping really and are setting her up for a nice four-year-old campaign after this.”
Capaci will be joined by six other stable runners at Wanganui, and Patterson is particularly upbeat about his three prospects in the three-year-old 1340m contest.
“I have got three in the three-year-old race – Roc All Night, The Dirty Dee and Belles Boom – they are all nice horses and it is going to be hard to split them,” he said.
A day prior at his home track of New Plymouth, Patterson will line-up six horses at the Platinum Homes Taranaki Apprentice Raceday where he has highlighted Yaldy Time (NZ) (Time Test) and Our Edwardo (NZ) (The Bold One) as his stables leading prospects.
“Our Edwardo is going to be a nice staying horse in time,” Patterson said. “He was favourite fresh-up, he was just a bit plain and I thought he was still a bit dumb.
“Yaldy Time was favourite fresh-up but he reared in the gates and missed the kick. He is going to be a good chance.”
