Racing: Crocetti’s start in Hawke’s Bay’s Tarzino Trophy will be weather-dependent

Crocetti (left) produced a game performance to beat Master Fay in an Open 1100m race at Ruakākā on August 3 when unsuited by the heavy track conditions. He has since won a Taupō 1100m trial and is a $2.20 favourite for the Group 1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings on September 7. Photo / Race Images

Hawke’s Bay Racing officials and Hastings racegoers will be hoping the weather gods are kind to the district over the next fortnight so that last season’s outstanding 3-year-old Crocetti gets to start in the $400,000 Tarzino Trophy feature race on the first day of the Colliers Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival on September 7.

Crocetti was ultra-impressive when winning a trial over 1100m at Taupō on Wednesday and has shortened to a hot $2.20 favourite for the 1400m weight-for-age event, which is the first Group 1 race of the new season.

But his connections have said he will not be at Hastings if the racing surface comes up heavy.

“We want to start at Hastings but we won’t run him again on a heavy track,” co-trainer Danny Walker said this week.

He prepares the exciting Zacinto gelding in partnership with Aaron Tata and both are of the opinion that the horse does not like heavy footing.

So Walker and Tata have a contingency plan for Crocetti if track conditions don’t suit at Hastings.

“We’ve made it very clear that we won’t run him on a heavy track again and we’re sticking to it. So if Hastings comes up heavy, he’ll fly to Sydney that weekend instead and race there the following Saturday,” Walker said.

If Crocetti is on that flight, his first Sydney target would be the Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on September 14.

“If we go down that path, then he will stay in Sydney and contest the Silver Eagle and then hopefully the Golden Eagle,” Walker added.

The A$10 million ($10.95m) Golden Eagle is a 1500m race confined to 4-year-olds and run over 1500m at Rosehill on November 2.

“Sydney is where we want to end up but we want to go through Hastings first,” Walker said.

“So if the track is good enough, we’ll go to Hastings first and if he runs top-two there, Sydney is all go.”

The Tarzino Trophy never fails to attract the cream of New Zealand’s sprinter-milers and this year will be no exception.

At this stage, Legarto and Pier will be the only major Group race winners missing from the final line-up, the former having suffered a muscle injury that has ruled her out for the early part of the spring.

Crocetti boasts a record of eight wins and a second from only nine starts. His wins last season included the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Group 2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m), Group 3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) and the Group 3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1200m).

The Zacinto gelding resumed from a spell with a game win in an open 1100m race at Ruakākā on August 3, when unsuited by the heavy track conditions.

He is a dominant favourite for the Tarzino, with Bonny Lass, Dragon Leap and last year’s winner Skew Wiff on the second line of betting at $8.

Mustang Valley, Sacred Satono and Waitak are on the next line of betting at $10.

Several Tarzino Trophy contenders will be contesting this Saturday’s Group 2 $150,000 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa as a final lead-up, including the Hastings-trained Wewillrock, who is rated a $21 chance for the Tarzino.

The TAB Fixed Odds market for the Tarzino Trophy is $2.20: Crocetti; $8: Bonny Lass, Dragon Leap, Skew Wiff; $10: Mustang Valley, Sacred Satono, Waitak; $16: Malt Time; $18: Geriatrix; $21: Faraglioni, Grail Seeker, Puntura, Wewillrock; $26: Belardo Boy, Town Cryer; $31: Blissful Belle, Campionessa, Pearl Of Alsace, Snazzytavi; $40 or more others.

The full list of nominations for the Tarzino Trophy, with their trainers, is:

Mustang Valley (Andrew Forsman), Campionessa (Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson), Bonny Lass (Graham Richardson & Rogan Norvall), Crocetti (Danny Walker & Aaron Tata), Puntura (Robbie Patterson), Waitak (Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott), Skew Wiff (Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson), Romancing The Moon (Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson), Dragon Leap (Aus) (Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott), Malt Time (AUS) (Shaun & Emma Clotworthy), Town Cryer (Roydon Bergerson), Pearl Of Alsace (Shaune Ritchie & Colm Murray), Faraglioni (Josh Shaw), Diss Is Dramatic (Lisa Latta), Blissful Belle (John Bary), Grail Seeker (Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott), Belardo Boy (Lisa Latta), Sacred Satono (Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley), Bradman (Roydon Bergerson), Lightning Jack (Kelvin Tyler), Snazzytavi (Graham Richardson & Rogan Norvall), Wewillrock (Guy Lowry & Leah Zydenbos), Gospodin (Jim Pender), Old Town Road (Lisa Latta), Geriatrix (Aus) (Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott), Electric Time (Lou Te Keeti).

Hawke’s Bay stablemates clash at Te Rapa

The Hastings training partnership of Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal will pit their top hurdlers Nedwin and Taika against each other in this Saturday’s $60,000 CLC Pakuranga Hunt Open Hurdle (3200m) at Te Rapa.

Nedwin has a formidable hurdling record with his seven victories including last year’s Great Northern Hurdle (4200m) and two editions of the Wellington Hurdles (3100m), his second success in the race coming under 73kg in July.

The son of Niagara then ventured south to contest the Grand National Hurdles (4200m) a fortnight ago, when he was uncharacteristically pulled up after racing keenly and misjudging a fence early in the contest.

“We don’t really know what happened down at Riccarton, he’s come home and we’ve taken some bloods off him and there has been nothing wrong,” McDougal said.

“Hamish [McNeill, jockey] said there were some billboards on the inside that he was looking at coming around the home bend and he just botched the jump up there, then he did the same at another fence, which is quite unlike him.

“He pulled quite hard early, which may have also contributed to him not jumping so well and then running out of puff at the end.

“He likes a wet track as well and goes on any surface, so it was a real head-scratcher.”

Returning home to Hastings, Nedwin has continued with his preparation and gave the training partners confidence to push on to this weekend’s race, which is a key prelude into the Great Northern Hurdles (4200m) on September 15 back at the Waikato venue.

“He galloped with Taika yesterday [Tuesday] and worked well. We can’t fault him at home so it’s all go for Saturday,” McDougal said.

“He deserves another chance at these big races.”

Eight-year-old Taika may have less experience on his side but has made a sizeable impression over the past 12 months, finishing second to English Gambler in this race last year before an unfortunate fall when looking a live chance in the Great Northern Hurdle.

Coming back strongly this season, he was only beaten by the barest of margins by National winner Berry The Cash in the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles (3100m) and fought on valiantly for third in Nedwin’s Wellington success.

“We were really happy with him at Wellington, then he had a flat run at Woodville a couple of weeks ago and he was super,” McDougal said.

“Johnathan Riddell rode him there and you couldn’t take the smile off his face, he said he jumped a bit awkwardly and then was held up when he needed to get going at the 1000m, but he’s finished off very well.

“I think he’s pretty on track for Saturday.

“The Northern has been his target for most of this season, he fell last year but I felt he was a pretty good chance for at least a placing in that race.”

McDougal confirmed McNeill would be aboard Taika on Saturday, while Joshua Parker will partner Nedwin for the first time with a 7kg weight-swing between them, in favour of the former.

Meanwhile, the stable’s star performer The Cossack has recently commenced his rehabilitation from a suspensory ligament injury which kept him out of the Grand National Steeplechase (5500m) earlier this month.

“He has gone down to Carlton Lodge with Dianne Sergeant to be rehabbed and, if he stood up, we will look to race him again next year,” McDougal said.

“If not, he’ll have a great life as a sport horse and being well looked after.”

Mark Twain out of Melbourne Cup

Mark Twain, New Zealand’s leading hope for this year’s Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), has been ruled out of spring racing with a tendon strain.

The 5-year-old gelding gained automatic entry into the iconic race with victory in the Listed Roy Higgins (2600m) at Flemington in March, which followed his placing in the Group 2 Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie earlier that month.

Trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood were excited about campaigning their charge in Melbourne this spring. However, those dreams have been dashed after the gelding pulled up with an injury last weekend.

“He has suffered a setback, he has got a slight tendon strain,” James said.

“He presumably did it when working on Saturday morning.

“He will probably be off the scene for some time. To rehabilitate 100% from a tendon strain, he probably wouldn’t be seen in public for 12 months.

“It is gutting for the stable and all of his connections as well.”

Mark Twain was bred by Taikorea Thoroughbreds and is raced by Australian syndicator OTI Racing.