Horse Racing: Expectations high for exciting Bream Bay Cup and Bowl

Hasselhoof will be in action in Australia while the local focus is on the Craig Cogan Builder Bream Bay Cup and the A1 Homes Bream Bay Bowl. Photo/Steven McNicholl

The $25,000 Craig Cogan Builder Bream Bay Cup and the $25,000 A1 Homes Bream Bay Bowl is shaping up to be an exciting contest, drawing twenty-one local Bream Bay businesses to sponsor the event.

The eight race programme continues to emphasise how the good quality young horses are attracted north to the good surface at Ruakaka racecourse.

The $20,000 Cookson Plumbing Sprint has attracted an exciting group of three-year-old runners headed by top weight Xiong Feng, winner of the $1,000,000 Karaka Million back in January.

Also from the McKee and Chippendale stable from Auckland is Tennessee who is part owned by the ill Sir Colin Meads. Tennessee is unbeaten in races of a 1000m or less including one at the course.

This race is clearly the quality race at the meeting with other impressive winners engaged in the race being Wyndspelle, The Soultaker and Barcelo.

No doubt many of these will be looking to improve their fitness and ratings so that they can compete in the $50,000 Tavistock Northland Breeders, a Listed Race, race over 1200 metres on 10 September at Ruakaka.

The Craig Cogan Builder Bream Bay Cup has not attracted a great deal of depth of runners but the three locally trained runners in Smedley, Zafrenzy and Lord and Master all look to be the form horses and it would be a fitting result to see the Bream Bay Cup won by a trainer who uses the local beaches of the bay for training purposes.

Smedley won the Whangarei Gold Cup over the same distance and must be the hardest to beat.

The most consistent horse at Ruakaka this year has to be Rocknrolla who is lining up for his sixth start.

The six-year-old has won three races this season so far and given her very vocal and fun loving owners a lot of joy during the year.

The A1 Homes Bream Bay Bowl is likely to be her swansong before heading off to stud and with successful apprentice Sam Weatherley able to claim a three kilogram allowance the tough mare will be hard to beat on Saturday.

In between races at Ruakaka on Saturday there will be a lot of eyes on the TVs on three of the Hasting races with the Logan/Gibbs partnership racing Valley Girl, Hasselhoof, Mongolian Falcon and Barabas at the premier meeting that has the $200,000 Makfi Challenge at weight for age over 1400 metres as the feature event on the day.

Unfortunately, both Valley Girl and Hasselhoof have both drawn wide in the Makfi Challenge but that maybe an advantage if the rain is heavier than predicted.

Both horses were very impressive at their first up runs and it has been suggested that Hasselhoof has taken the most benefit from that run.

A good crowd is anticipated at the course with many of the Bream Bay businesses bringing guests to the course.

In addition, Activ8 and the Northland Club from Whangarei are looking to make it a fun afternoon.