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Karen Zimmerman will head north next weekend with two in-form contenders for the feature events at Te Rapa.
The Otaki trainer has Handsome Ransom’s daughters Gwynethanne and Grace With Power set for the Gr.2 Travis Stakes and the open mile handicap respectively.
Gwynethanne’s cause hasn’t been helped by the recent abandonment of the Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes, but Zimmerman remains confident of a bold showing at Te Rapa.
“She’s as well as I can get after being held up a bit,” she said.
The four-year-old has only been out of the money on four occasions and posted the last of her four wins last time out at Awapuni. She had previously finished a solid sixth in the Gr.3 Cuddle Stakes and third in the Douro Cup.
Zimmerman also holds Grace With Power in high regard and she was a dominant winner in the Rating 85 grade at Hastings on Saturday.
“She’ll have one more run in the open mile this weekend and then she’ll go out for a spell,” she said.
“She’ll come back for the spring and the Hawke’s Bay meeting and we’ll be looking to nominate her for those good races.”Grace With Power’s stablemate Langdon also pleased Zimmerman with his effort for third in the Gr.3 Hawke’s Bay Cup last weekend.
“He wasn’t that happy in the ground and he’s been up quite a long time,” she said. “He’ll have a run here at Otaki on Friday week and then go out – we’ll look at some nice cup races for him in the spring.”