Saint Kitt and jockey Chris Johnson surge past Southern Raider on their way to winning the Banks Peninsula Cup
Transport disruptions caused by last Monday's South Island earthquake have meant that Hastings-trained Saint Kitt is still in Christchurch and is now likely to remain there until the New Year.
The horse's trainer Kelly Burne had planned to have the horse back in her stable this week but ferry sailings between Picton and Wellington were cancelled due to extensive damage to the Wellington and Picton ferry terminals.
"The horse is stranded down there now but it's not all bad," Burne said.
She has had the horse stabled at Pam Robson's property at Riccarton and said she may put the horse in Robson's name for the next couple of months so that he can continue racing down in the South Island.
"The Otago Cup at Wingatui on Boxing Day looks a good race for him next and there is also the Dunedin Cup in January," Burne added.
The $30,000 Otago Cup is run over 2200m while the Listed $50,000 Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m) will be run at Wingatui on February 4.
Saint Kitt has been plagued by leg problems throughout his career and Robson has an equine pool on her property and the horse has done a lot of extensive swimming to help keep him fit.
Burne sent Saint Kitt south in September and the Keeper 6-year-old has had five starts down there for a win, a second and a third.
He scored a strong win in the Banks Peninsula Cup (2200m) at Motukarara on October 30 and followed that up with a good second behind Nymph Monte in the Listed $75,000 Metropolitan Trophy (2500m) on the first day of the New Zealand Cup meeting at Riccarton.
Saint Kitt was bred by Hawke's Bay-based Don Gordon in partnership with Little Avondale Stud. He has had several racing ownerships over the years but is now owned by Burne in partnership with her Perth-based son Vinnie.
Bridge back in CHB
Trainer James Bridge has officially closed his Auckland stable and has now moved back to his home base in Central Hawke's Bay.
The 34-year-old has been operating out of the Byerley Park complex in Auckland for the past 18 months but he and his father John have purchased a farm property at Pourerere Beach, east of Waipukurau, where they have set up a private training establishment. It is complete with new boxes and yards and they will be able to work their horses on the nearby beach.
James had two starters at last Saturday's Canterbury meeting at Riccarton with Mystery Show finishing seventh in the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and Gilhoolie fourth in the Listed $50,000 Welcome Stakes (1000m) for 2-year-olds. Both horses are now expected to return to the new property and be spelled until the New Year.
Bridge says he is not going to have a lot of horses racing over the next few months and will be concentrating on getting horses up to a certain stage and then selling them on.
The Bridges were the original owners of the top Australian performer Mackintosh, who is likely to be one of Kawi's rivals in tomorrow's Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m).
They bought the Pins 4-year-old as a weanling for $11,000 and James prepared him to win two races from three starts before he was sold to clients of top Sydney trainer Chris Waller. The horse has since added another four wins.
Kawi faces big task
Trainer Allan Sharrock is not confident of a winning run from his star galloper Kawi in tomorrow's $1 million Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) at the Ascot racecourse in Perth.
The New Plymouth trainer says Kawi is in great order going into the 1600m event but the conditions of the feature have blunted his confidence.
"If he won then he would exceed my expectations," Sharrock said. "It's a handicap and he's got to carry 58.5kg and he'll be giving the one that won the other day four kilos and not two."
He was referring to Perfect Reflection, who was successful in the Group 2 Lee Steere Stakes, in which Kawi finished a respectable fourth.
"He blew out noticeably and it was 37 degrees," Sharrock said "He got over there late and he had very little fast work in the week before the race, but I'm happy with him."
Kawi, who is in the care of his regular strapper Emma Davies in Perth, will again be ridden by Michael Walker.
"This is the race of the three that I always thought would be the biggest battle," Sharrock said.
"I honestly can't see him winning at the weights, but I would like to see him hitting the line strongly and I expect him to be doing that. He'll be right for third one then."
Kawi's three-start Western Australian campaign will end with the Group 1 Kingston Town Classic on December 3, a weight-for-age event over 1800m.
Johnson for Singapore
Danielle Johnson faces a hectic travel schedule this weekend.
She will ride at Pukekohe Park tomorrow before boarding an overseas flight after she was booked for the Stephen Gray-trained Newlands in Sunday's Singapore Gold Cup at Kranji.
"Stephen was looking for a good lightweight jockey and got in touch to see if Danielle was available," her agent Kevin Booth said.
"It means missing Te Rapa on Sunday but this is a great opportunity that she wasn't going to pass up.
"She'll be on a couple of others for Stephen Gray and Bruce Marsh has got some rides for her too."
Nicholson's shaky trip
Grant Nicholson experienced first-hand the force of this week's massive earthquake.
The Opaki horseman was on his way home from New Zealand Cup and Show Week when he got the fright of his life.
"We left Christchurch at 7.30 on Sunday evening for the 2 o'clock ferry and the locals told us later that we were the last vehicle to get through," Nicholson said.
"We were about halfway between Kaikoura and Blenheim when it hit - I thought the truck was going to tip over.
"The road was rolling towards us and the sky in front of us lit up. Apparently, that was the energy released from the earthquake. Everything was rocking and rolling, scary stuff."
Nicholson said his horses came through unscathed and he was more than happy with Nymph Monte's Riccarton performances, despite missing out on his major goal.
The Tavistock 5-year-old claimed the Listed double of the Spring Classic and the Metropolitan Trophy Handicap to earn favouritism in last Saturday's Cup.
Nymph Monte finished fifth behind Pump Up The Volume with an effort that Nicholson said he was proud of.
"Certainly the rain didn't help and he didn't help himself either. When he jumped he banged into another horse and he over-raced after that, but he pulled up really well.
"If he had dropped out then I wouldn't have bagged the horse, but he fought on well and I thought it was a top effort."
Looking ahead, Nicholson now has the choice between two Ellerslie options for Nymph Monte.
"I'll get him home and then decide, but it will either be the City of Auckland Cup or the Zabeel Classic," he said.
Triple Crown bonus
A clean sweep of three northern staying features will realise a massive pay day.
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and the Auckland Racing Club have announced a $1 million bonus to any horse to win the Group 3 Laser Plumbing Te Puke City of Auckland Cup on New Year's Day, the Group 2 Go Racing Syndications Avondale Cup on February 18 and the Group 1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup on March 11.
"The ARC acknowledges the support of NZTR regarding our three feature summer staying races," chief executive Cameron George said.
"The bonus will add further excitement to what will be a fantastic summer of racing at Ellerslie."
No plans for Xtravagant
The future racing programme of the dual Group One winner Xtravagant has yet to be confirmed.
The Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards-trained 4-year-old has returned to work following a break after his disappointing two-start Melbourne campaign.
"He's been back for a couple of weeks, but no plans have been made," the stable's racing manager Brad Taylor said.