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Promising three-year-old Dragon has an opportunity at Waipukurau to progress on two fronts.
The Mark Forbes-trained gelding will make the third appearance of his career in Thursday’s Congratulations Kipkeino Maiden (1200m) with Troy Harris booked for the ride.
“He’s owned in Hong Kong so the first goal is to get him qualified and then we’ll see whether he stays here,” Forbes said.The possibility of a start in the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November might be enough to achieve that.
“It would be good to get a win on the board and then go race by race and see what happens,” Forbes said.“He’s not really a sprinter and it will be nice to get him over a bit more ground.”
Dragon finished third behind the subsequent Group performer Florence Jean in his only juvenile appearance and then ran fourth behind the multiple stakes winner Prom Queen when resuming at Ruakaka earlier this month.“That was a super run to be fair to the horse,” Forbes said. “He half-pie reared at the start and he was the only one to make ground on the day.”
Stablemate Alvins Dream, another ride for Harris, is also primed for a bold showing in the Centralines Mile (1600m).A debut winner in July, he then finished a close seventh at Te Rapa before a last-start fourth.
“He probably shouldn’t have started at Hawke’s Bay, he didn’t get through the track and was dipping and diving all the way,” Forbes said.“He’s come through the race well and getting up to a mile will suit him.”