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Cherry Vain Ready For Return
Talented filly Cherry Vain will make one appearance before her first major test of the new season.
“She’s going to kick off at Ruakaka in the three-year-old race on Saturday week and then we’ll look at the Gold Trail Stakes,” trainer Nigel Tiley said. “She’s come back better than ever.”
Cherry Vain was an impressive debut winner at Ellerslie in the autumn and was spelled after she had given a good account of herself when fifth in the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes.
The daughter of Nicconi finished less than three lengths from the winner O’Marilyn in the Awapuni feature.
Cox Plate Ideal For Criterion
Criterion will bypass the major spring cups in favour of a tilt at the $A3 million Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m).
Trainer David Payne doesn’t believe his Gr.1 Australian Derby winner can match it in the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups with the hardened European-bred stayers.
“He won the Derby on class,” he said. “They do that as three-year-olds, but I think he is too brilliant and the Cox Plate is his race.
“He is a 2000 metre horse and that will be as far as he runs from now on.”
The New Zealand-bred Criterion, who is raced by Sir Owen Glenn, will resume this Saturday in the $A175,000 Gr.2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick.
Dundeel Earns Top NZ Ranking
Horse of the Year Dundeel is the highest-ranked New Zealand horse on the recently released ANZ Classifications for last season.
The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Dundeel received a rating of 122 for winning the show piece event of the inaugural The Championships, the A$4million Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick in the autumn.
Dundeel’s rating equalled leading older mare Atlantic Jewel, who suffered her only career defeat at the hands of the Kiwi star in the Gr.1 Underwood Stakes, while the highest rating went to the Mick Price-prepared Lankan Rupee at 123.
Designated Driver A Mare To Follow
Progressive mare Designated Driver looks a leading spring prospect for new trainers Mick Brown and Sue Thompson.
The four-year-old was an impressive winner at Wanganui on Sunday in her first appearance from the Hastings duo’s stable when she came with a sustained run from the back for her third career victory.
“She was fresh-up after four months, but we thought she’d go well,” Brown said. “We’ve been riding her cold in her work and it was a 10 out of 10 ride by Samantha (Wynne).”
Designated Driver was previously trained at Cambridge by Gary Alton and she won twice last season and finished third at Ellerslie behind the talented Spellbinder.
“She’s owned by Butch and Lu Thomas and they had a property in Cambridge and they’ve bought a place in Hastings. They live in America and when they’re here they like to see their horses. Sue also worked with their show jumpers in the United States.”
The couple breed and own show jumpers and their son Guy is an internationally-successful rider and New Zealand Olympic representative.
Queensland Prizemoney Hike
Racing Queensland announced prize money increases on Monday with Saturday metropolitan races to rise by $A20,000 to $A65,000.
Midweek metropolitan prize money will also increase from $A17,000 to $A20,000.
The changes come in the wake of Racing Queensland’s $A4.5 billion, 30-year deal with Tatts Group in June and follows widespread criticism of prize money levels across the state.
The changes will take effect on October 1.
Guineas Trip On The Line
Last season’s champion two-year-old Vespa can join elite company next month and in the process earn himself a trip to Australia.
Trainer Johno Benner said the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas-nominated son of Elusive City would have to perform particularly well on his return at Ruakaka to keep his Melbourne plan alive.
Vespa is expected to resume in the Listed Westbury Stud Northland Breeders’ Stakes, which has been won by Sacred Falls and El Roca in the last two years.