Racing: Jury's out on what's next for Goodsav

Trainer Patrick Campbell (left) with an owner of racehorse Goodsav, Phillip Cataldo, and jockey Lisa Allpress after winning the last race of the Christmas at the Race meeting in Hastings yesterday.

It's always about fun and games for the punters at this time of the year but for the thoroughbred horse trainers it's decision time.

"She's a promising filly on the way up," a circumspect Hastings trainer Patrick Campbell put it somewhat tradesman-like yesterday afternoon, soon after Lisa Allpress took Goodsav over the finish line in the last race of the Christmas at the Races meeting in Hastings.

The Waikato Stud Ltd-bred 3-year-old Bay filly took the last race, Stock New Zealand Livestock Agents R65, finishing half a length in front of Cameron Lammas and Star of Greenbeel, with Darryl Bradley on Bella Court coming about a similar distance behind in third place in the 1400m dash.

"We'll have to make a decision to whether we'll race her again or wait until autumn after we see how she progresses," Campbell said, of Goodsav whose sire is Savabeel out of dam Millililli.

Awapuni beckons but nothing is set in concrete.

Campbell yesterday wanted to see if Goodsav was relaxed and came in strongly at the finish line, so he ticked those boxes emphatically on the horse that the Goodfellas Syndicate and Waikato Stud Ltd own.

Sweating profusely on a balmy 25C day, a beaming Allpress said Goodsav, who she rode to victory at Woodville over 1200m last month, had the hallmark of winning Gr.1 races.

"She would have learned a lot from today. She's got back into running so she's a little bit green but got to the line and it didn't look that pretty but she felt really good," she said.

The Campbell/Allpress combination also came up trumps in the penultimate race, Trinity Hill 1400 Maiden, on 3-year-old In Another Life.

"He led all the way and won well," said Campbell, of the Bay gelding.

Jockey Michael McNab and Echezeaux were second while the Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen-trained Voxer was third with Johnathon Parkes in the saddle, both about a length apart from their front runners.

Earlier in race three, Livamol Optimiser 1400 R85, Allpress and Campbell-trained Shezgorgeous finished a shade under half a length behind Arrow in the Sand and Kelly Myers.

"She'll need a softer track so she'll probably go for a spell," Campbell declared, pigeon-holing In Another Life for similar treatment.

Lowry and Cullen had to settle for another second place in the 14-field Bostock New Zealand Mile Maiden with Kinninmont and Kelly Myers.

The line honours belonged to another two-trainer combination of Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards after McNab powered Bordeaux to a 1.3-length victory.

"He's [Kinninmont] is still doing a few things wrong so we'll put him over further ground over 2000m in the next start where he'll be hard to beat," Lowry said, emphasising the 5-year-old gelding preferred more cut in the track.

Sue Thompson and Mick Brown's Zed Leppelin was second.