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Waikato Cup winner Vavasour might get two cracks at 3200m in the autumn.
The four-year-old is an $8 favourite for the Gr.1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup on March 12 and the Gr.1 Sydney Cup, on April 9, is also on her radar.
The Sydney Cup had a stake of A$1 million in 2014, but increased to $A1.6 million this year and has had another stakes boost for 2016.
Meanwhile, Vavasour will be one of the beneficiaries of the change in conditions for the Auckland Cup this term.
The Redoute’s Choice mare carried 59kg when winning last weekend’s Gr.3 Waikato Cup, but will drop to 55kg in the Auckland Cup, which will be run under set weights and penalties for the first time.
However, Vavasour has 58kg for the Gr.3 Scot Thrust City of Auckland Cup at Ellerslie on January 1 and her trainer, Peter Williams, is still concerned that the mare has reached the top of the handicaps so quickly.
“She’s a four-year-old and has won only five races,” he said. “I know there’s no depth in our stayers, but that’s not the horse’s fault.”
Williams is unsure of Vavasour’s lead-up programme to the Auckland Cup. “Everything would have to go right with her to run in the City of Auckland Cup and I think she’s too young to run at weight-for-age.”
Williams trains in partnership with his wife, Dawn, and Paul Richards, and the stable has had a spectacular run over the last week, with five wins and a fifth from six runners.
Geppetto’s Girl won at Ellerslie last week, while Vavasour and Natuzzi added black type wins at Te Rapa and Gravano and Triaction won at Ellerslie the next day.
Ultraviolet could not match her stablemates but still finished a creditable fifth in the Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes at Te Rapa, after being slow away.
Natuzzi goes to the Railway Stakes at Ellerslie on January 1 and Gravano will tackle the $100,000 Gr.2 The Hits Great Northern Guineas on the same day.
Gravano, a Roc de Cambes gelding, is the stable’s sole Gr.1 BMW New Zealand Derby entrant and has had two wins from five attempts, with both wins coming at Ellerslie.
