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Brisbane for Sacred Star; Valley Girl to Sydney; Group One assignment for unbeaten juvenile; Oaks options for Capella
Brisbane for Sacred Star
Group One winning sprinter Sacred Star will be back in Queensland this winter treading a familiar path.
The Tony Pike-trained six-year-old relished a return to a firmer surface when accounting for his rivals in the Gr.3 Darley Plate at Ellerslie on Saturday.
“He’ll go for a short spell now,” Pike said. “There’s not much left for him here in New Zealand.
“He is not good enough to compete with the very best sprinters in Australia during the Championships, but he will head back to Brisbane and follow the same path as he has for the past two years.
Sacred Star is set to tackle the Gr.1 Doomben 10,000 and the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap.
“He has performed well in Brisbane in the past. He had a few feet problems last year which made things a little more difficult than the previous year.”
Valley Girl to Sydney
The Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs-trained filly Valley Girl pleased connections with her fast-finishing fifth in Saturday’s Gr.1 BMW New Zealand Derby and now has further Group One assignments in Sydney.
“The wide draw was quite costly in the end but we were very pleased with the run and she hit the line well,” Gibbs said.
“We’ve got three weeks to the Vinery Stud Stakes and then on to the Australian Oaks. It’s a path Donna has followed before with Rising Romance and Habibi with good success.”
Meanwhile, stablemate Volkstok'n'barrell is in fine fettle following his last start win in the Gr.1 Haunui Farm WFA Classic and will take his place in Saturday’s Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes at Ellerslie.
“He came through that run brilliantly,” Gibbs said. “He’s always been a very good traveller and he’s in lovely order.”
Group One assignment for unbeaten juvenile
Karaka Million winner Xiong Feng will be back in action on Saturday at Ellerslie when he tackles the Gr.1 Diamond Stakes (1200m).
Xiong Feng is unbeaten in three career starts and co-trainer Stephen McKee, who prepares the son of Iffraaj with Eddie Chippendale, is confident the smart two-year-old will be hard to topple despite seven weeks between runs.
“He’s had a fair gap between races but that hasn’t worried him in the past,” McKee said.
“I think he’s ready to run well again.
“Obviously there’s a whole lot of newcomers coming through at this time of the year and it looks like the field has a lot of depth on Saturday.”
Oaks options for Capella
Matamata trainer Dancia Guy was thrilled with Capella’s eye-catching fourth in Saturday’s Gr.1 BMW New Zealand Derby and she is now weighing up options for the talented daughter of Rip Van Winkle.
“I was absolutely delighted with my horse and very, very proud of her after an interrupted preparation,” Guy said.
“She came through the run really well and wouldn’t have blown a match out after the race which is quite amazing.
“She will have a few days off now to get over it, but I couldn’t be happier.”
Guy will talk with owner Gary Harding before deciding where Capella is seen next, with a trip to Australia for the Vinery Stud Stakes and Australian Oaks the preferred option over a tilt at the New Zealand Oaks.
Auckland Cup hopes dashed
The well-performed stayer Farm Boy is out of Saturday’s Gr.1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup following a mishap after his final gallop on Tuesday morning.
“His work was terrific, but as he was coming off the track he ricked a joint and when he cooled down he was quite sore,” co-trainer Tim Carter said.
“The vet said he would be out for at least a fortnight. It’s a real shame as he was right on target, I guess we’ll have to wait for next year.”
Farm Boy was high in the betting market for the Ellerslie feature after his last-start third in the Gr.2 Avondale Cup, a race he won last year.
Replique to Sydney
Talented three-year-old filly Replique will do her future racing in Sydney following her partial sale.
A winner of two of her six starts, including the Listed Southland Guineas, the daughter of Darci Brahma will join the Gai Waterhouse stable.
Trained by Nick Wigley at Rangiora, Replique was withdrawn from last weekend’s Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes at Wingatui when favourite.