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Robbie Patterson’s mares Tanzanite Rose and The Hottie will go head-to-head in Christchurch on Wednesday as they take on the Gr.3 Windsor Park Stud Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m).
The talented pair have plenty in common, both lightly-raced, and both with stellar strike rates on varying track conditions.
As indicated in the market for the Breeders', which places The Hottie at $3.10 and Tanzanite Rose at $8, luck has not gone the way of both mares so far this preparation. The former produced a classy victory over Group One-performer Town Cryer in the Gr.3 Taranaki Breeders' Stakes (1400m) at Hawera, while her stablemate was badly checked in her resumption at Trentham, dashing any winning prospects.
Taranaki-based Patterson gave each mare one final hit-out at the jump-outs before they travelled to Riccarton Park, and he is not placing one clearly over the other in the midweek feature.
"They went down last Friday and have settled in well, they haven't missed a beat," he said.
"The Hottie is going super, we've just had to space her races because she did have the bleeding attack at Riccarton back in the autumn. She's come through that race (Taranaki Breeders) really well though and went superb in her jump-out, so she's spot on target for Wednesday.
"The gates just shut on Tanzanite Rose at Trentham when she was going to storm into the race, but she's taken no harm from that.
"We jumped her out last week as well and she was really good. Ciel Butler (jockey) does all of the work on her and she actually thinks she's going better than The Hottie at the moment, and I don't know what we can take out of that, because The Hottie has been there and done that.
"Either way, she's going really well."
Courtney Barnes will retain the ride aboard The Hottie, as will Butler on Tanzanite Rose, who Patterson is hoping to collect black-type for as she enters her six-year-old season.
"We always had an eye on this race for her, it was a shame about that hiccup the other day, but the owner was still keen to go down and we thought she was going to figure in that race anyway," he said.
"She's a six-year-old mare now and we would like to get any black-type we can with her."
Later in the week, Patterson will also be represented in the Gr.3 Martin Collins 161st New Zealand Cup (3200m) by Mary Louise.
A daughter of The Bold One, Mary Louise is proven at the two miles having won the Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m) in January, but Patterson had hoped to see a more forward showing from her of late leading into Saturday's showpiece.
"She's been a bit plain this prep, we would've preferred to go into this race in better form really but after her last run we got the vet to go over her and there were a couple of problems that we have treated," he said.
"She jumped out last week and was beside Ladies Man all the way up the straight and was going just as well, so we thought that was good enough form to warrant heading down.
"She gets in well at the weights, a Wellington Cup winner getting in at 53kg, and there looks like there is a bit of rain about too.
"There is a lot of things in her favour, but on the way she's going this campaign, we're just hoping."
Mary Louise is currently rated a $18 hope in the Cup, with Listed Metropolitan Handicap (2600m) runner-up Beavertown Boy atop of the market at $4.