Swiss Prince back in business at Te Rapa
Swiss Prince (NZ) (El Roca) will make an earlier than anticipated return to action at Te Rapa where the Group winner resumes in age group company.
The three-year-old made grand progress last preparation with success in the Gr.2 James & Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) having earlier placed in the Listed Wanganui Guineas (1200m).
He found a deep Riccarton track against him when unplaced in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and hasn’t raced since finishing runner-up in the Gr.2 Levin Classic (1400m) in January.
Off the back of trials at Avondale and Pukekohe last month, the son of El Roca will resume in the Jack & June Stewart Memorial (1200m).
“It’s probably a bit unusual to see a horse like him racing this time of the year, he had a few little niggles, nothing major, so we gave him a break,” trainer Stephen Marsh said.
“He’s a big, strong gelding and if we left him out for three or four months, he would get away on us a bit.
“We needed to do something with him, he’s had two trials and saw this three-year-old race at Te Rapa, a great track, so we’ll give him a run to set him up for the early spring.”
Swiss Prince is well-suited to the conditions of Saturday’s race with apprentice Jack Taplin to bring his weight down to 57kg.
“He’s drawn a bit of a sticky gate, so we’ll ride him where he’s happy and I’m sure he’ll race very well,” Marsh said.
“He’s obviously the class horse of the field, he is fresh up for some time but he’s the best weighted horse in the race to be fair.”
Marsh will also have promising Snitzel filly Ocean Opal in the race with George Rooke to ride the last-start winner.
“I like her, she built to a good win after racing very well and without a lot of luck,” he said.
“She probably got there a little bit early at Matamata, maybe in a better field like this they will carry her into the race a bit more.
“Her fitness brings her a lot closer to Swiss Prince, but certainly he’s got the class.”
Marsh also likes the chances of Dramatic Miss (NZ) (El Roca) in the John F Grylls Memorial Classic (1400m) provided the receives a slice of good fortune.
“She’ll need a little bit of luck from the gate, but she’ll have the head gear on and she could turn her form around,” he said.
“She’s got some talent and she’s back to the Rating 75 grade.”
Marsh will also be represented by three first-starters at Te Aroha on Sunday and leaned to Kahului (North Pacific) in the Agplus Te Aroha Maiden (1150m) as his best.
“Bright Thoughts and Paddy Murphy are going to be better off over a bit of ground, and we haven’t had Kahului for long, just the one trial,” he said.
“If there’s no more rain and the track can improve a few points then barrier one won’t be all bad, I thought he could run some sort of race, I don’t mind him at all.” - Paul Vettise
Joshua Brown on song for Te Awamutu Cup
Joshua Brown (NZ) (Dalghar) returned to form when runner-up to Tisse at Te Rapa last month, and trainer Lance Gussey is hoping he can go one better on Saturday when he returns to the Hamilton track to contest the UBP Te Awamutu Cup (1600m).
Gussey was pleased with his last start result and said the six-year-old son of Dalghar has trained on well.
“He was slowly building to it, he can turn it on when he wants to,” Gussey said. “I am very happy with him, he is doing everything we have asked of him.”
Gussey’s only concern heading into the weekend is Joshua Brown’s 60-kilogram impost, 3.5kg more than his nearest rival, but he said it is a weight he has carried to victory in the past.
“He carried 60 kilos to beat Rockin Rosie two years ago, so we are hopeful he brings his best on Saturday,” Gussey said.
Joshua Brown won last year’s Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) under a featherweight 53kg, and while he will have to lumber significantly more in the Taranaki feature later this month, Gussey is giving it serious consideration, with a race at Te Rapa a week later another option.
“I would like to (go to Opunake Cup) but we will just see what happens,” he said. “There is a race at Te Rapa a week after (the Opunake Cup) and he might go there just because there is a bigger gap between his races. We will just have to wait and see how he pulls up and how he performs on Saturday.”
Meanwhile, Gussey has been rapt with stablemate Allaces recent run of form, with the Ace High mare breaking through for her maiden win at Pukekohe in May before placing in her next two outings.
She has subsequently headed for a freshen-up and Gussey is eyeing a potential spring return for the rising five-year-old.
“I am very happy with her, she has really turned it on for us,” Gussey said.
“We have turned her out for a break just because she has been in for so long and we will probably bring her back for the spring. Depending on how Josh goes, we might do the same with him just because I think the winter is going to drag on into the spring this year and we might get a Group race with him.” - Joshua Smith
Stakes-performed Marsh mares on the market in Breeding Stock Sale
A pair of black-type performers coming out of the Cambridge stable of Stephen Marsh are eye-catching young broodmare prospects available for purchase in the National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus.
Marsh Racing is selling the Group Three performer Merchant Queen (Merchant Navy) and the Listed-placed Ortega (NZ) (Reliable Man), with the duo catalogued as Lot 50 and Lot 57 respectively.
Merchant Queen is by Merchant Navy out of a four-time winning O’Reilly mare, from the family of Group One winners Headturner (Anabaa), Anacheeva (Anabaa) and O’Marilyn (O’Reilly) and other high-class performers such as Viennetta (NZ) (Pins) and Butterscotch (NZ) (Gold Brose).
Bought by Stephen Marsh Racing for A$180,000 as a yearling in Australia, Merchant Queen had 21 starts for four wins and two stakes placings.
She went unbeaten through the first three starts of her career, including a defeat of the stakes-winning Ethereal Star (Snitzel) at Ellerslie in January of 2024. She then ran second behind multiple Group One winner Crocetti (NZ) (Zacinto) in the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) on Karaka Millions night.
Merchant Queen’s other stakes placing also came behind a multiple Group One winner, running third to star stablemate El Vencedor (NZ) (Shocking) in the Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m).
“She’s a very fast mare with a quality pedigree behind her,” Marsh said. “She ran second to a top-class horse in Crocetti in the Almanzor at Ellerslie, and both of her stakes placings were behind multiple Group One winners.
“She had a lot of class and has a terrific pedigree page. I think she’ll be really good buying.”
In contrast to many other progeny of Reliable Man, who often hit their stride at the age of three and above, Ortega was a precocious juvenile who won at Pukekohe in her second start and then placed in the Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m).
She added another two victories as a three-year-old, at Matamata and Te Rapa, and finished her career as a three-time winner from 15 starts.
“She had some good ability and went very early for a Reliable Man, being stakes-placed at two,” Marsh said. “She won a strong three-year-old race at Te Rapa too.
“She’s a good type and a good mare. It’s always nice to see a mare with the speed and precocity to perform at that level as a two-year-old. She was a good, natural runner, and I think she can pass those attributes on.”
Ortega’s dam Rayas (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) won four times and placed in the Group Three Wellington Stakes (1600m). Rayas is also a full-sister to the Group Two winner Lasarla (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) and half-sister to the Listed winner and Group Three-placed Changing Eyes (NZ) (Black Minnaloushe).
The 2026 National Online Breeding Stock Sale is now open for bidding on Gavelhouse Plus. The first lot closes from 6pm (NZT) on Wednesday 8 July.
Joshua Smith
Joshua Smith
NZ Racing Desk
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