The two worlds of New Zealand’s thoroughbred racing elite collide on both sides
of the Tasman today.
And that could see one super stable emerge with the rarest of all doubles: a Group 1 in two countries on the same day.
Today’s Trentham meeting brings New Zealand’s racing summer to a late conclusion, with two Group 1s among five black-type races.
But while the highest level racing starts to wind down here, it only gets busier across the Tasman, with Group 1s in Sydney and Melbourne – both featuring New Zealand reps and offering a realistic opportunity to break a now two-year drought for Kiwi-trained horses at the elite level in Australia.
That comes with Belle Cheval in the A$750,000 ($896,000) Vinery Stakes at Rosehill for trainer Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, who also have favoured runners in both Group 1s at Trentham and Damask Rose in the Australian Cup.
Standing in their way at all three venues is the other side of New Zealand racing superstars, trainer Chris Waller, who along with jockey James McDonald represents those who have left New Zealand and gone on to conquer Australia.
The Vinery pits Belle Cheval against NZ Oaks winner Ohope Wins, having her first start for Waller with record-setter McDonald in the saddle.
Belle Cheval is stepping up from 1500m in the NZB Kiwi she had won a stride off the post, while Ohope Wins is dropping back from the 2400m of the Oaks five weeks ago and going into today’s 2000m fresh, and therefore possibly vulnerable from her wide draw in a race lacking tempo.
Those factors and Rosehill’s shorter straight gives Belle Cheval her shot at beating Ohope Wins, even though the latter has an X-factor rarely seen in staying fillies.
If Ohope Wins can round Belle Cheval up today, she will win the ATC Oaks in two weeks in a canter and possibly announce herself as a Cups or weight-for-age horse for next season.
But if Belle Cheval sits handier than usual from her good draw with the slower 2000m tempo, she could sprint very hard and etch her name on the Vinery trophy alongside recent Kiwi winners Prowess and Orchestral – and the Kiwi drought in Australia will be broken.
Waller also has a rare double representation at his old stomping ground of Trentham, where he’s sending Chica Mojito and Mare Of Mt Buller to chase the Group 1 wins needed to cement their broodmare careers.
They find themselves in a very open 1600m NZ Breeders Stakes against three from Te Akau in Captured By Love, Quintessa and Qali Al Farrasha, while the other powerhouse stable of New Zealand racing, Stephen Marsh, also has three reps in Provence, Ardalio and Queen Zou.
So some of the most successful New Zealand horsemen of the last decade are going at it on both sides of the Tasman and depending on tempo, the best-value bets might be Belle Cheval in the Vinery and Provence each way in the Breeders Stakes.
Today’s Courtesy Ford Sires’ Produce at Trentham has been robbed on one if its favourites, Harvey Wallbanger, after he pulled up with a minor issue after Thursday trackwork and his scratching has raised the Te Akau-trained Seize The Day into $2.45 favouritism.
That is the sort of price usually reserved for Te Akau’s more proven juveniles and although he can win, his price leaves value around the likes of State Of Valour at $9, Excite at $10 and a few others.
The heavy rain forecast for Trentham had not come by late Friday and the track was rated a Soft 6, with staff confident it could get back to a Soft 5 to send summer racing out in style.
** Tomorrow’s six-race Tauranga meeting has been abandoned because of flooding on the track and in the stabling area.
Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.