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Two out of three won’t be at all bad for Stephen McKee and Eddie Chippendale when it comes to the last of the season’s juvenile features.
The Ardmore trainers are likely to be represented by O'Rachael and Tennessee in the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes at Awapuni on April 2.
Their most noticeable absentee will be Xiong Feng, who suffered the first defeat of his career when the Listed Karaka Million winner tailed the field home in Saturday’s Gr.1 Diamond Stakes at Ellerslie.“He had a stone bruise come out this (Monday) morning and that’s really all we can put that run down to,” Chippendale said.
“He has been x-rayed and they are all fine. He knuckled over at the start and got bumped so he didn’t have much go his way – he’ll go for a spell now.”While there was disappointment on the Xiong Feng front, the stable were delighted with the Ellerslie efforts of O’Rachael (third) and Tennessee (fourth).
“At this stage they will be going down for the Sires’ Produce,” Chippendale said. “O’Rachael performed a lot better in the blinkers and we were really happy with her.”Her record of a win and three placings from five appearances is misleading as she was narrowly beaten on debut when her gate was slow to open. She was also blocked for a run in the straight when unplaced in the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes.
Tennessee turned in another genuine performance after making the most of an inside gate.“She went really well. We went hard in front and she stuck on well,” regular rider Sam Spratt said.
Tennessee has won two of her six starts, including the Listed Wellesley Stakes, and her eighth placing in the Karaka Million off a three wide run has been her only failure to weigh in.