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Awapuni trainer Mike Breslin gained a healthy dose of satisfaction from Salamanca’s latest effort.
He produced the seven-year-old to cap off successive placings with an open handicap victory at Te Rapa on Saturday.
“It was great to see him win his 10th race, it was a very good effort and he’s a cool horse,” Breslin said.Salamanca has been a trusted servant of the stable since his two-year-old days when he won the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton.
“He doesn’t like the really heavy tracks so he could go back to Te Rapa for an open 1200m next and the other option is Christchurch,” Breslin said.“He’s obviously won down there before, but it would depend on how wet it was likely to be.”
Breslin has also been happy with the progress of another senior member of the stable in the Group winner Ringo.“He’s from the same era as Salamanca and he’s 100 per cent,” Breslin said.
Ringo ran third on his home track two runs back before finishing out of the money in Saturday’s Listed Opunake Cup (1400m).“I wanted to run him in the open mile at Te Rapa, but the race was canned so I elected to run him at New Plymouth,” Breslin said.
“My gut feeling was that he wouldn’t get around that track the best or handle the ground and that was confirmed by Chris (Johnson),” Breslin said.“He might go to the open mile on the first day at Hawke’s Bay.”