Ellerslie’s Rangitoto Classic: Lingjun Xiongfeng’s unexpected journey to frontrunner

Lingjun Xiongfeng. Photo / Supplied

The best indication of where Lingjun Xiongfeng stands going into his major aim for the season is the fact he has had one more lead-up race than planned.

The talented five-year-old is the second favourite for Ellerslie’s new innovation race, the $350,000 Rangitoto Classic, which has the unusual conditions that only horses prepared by trainers who were not in the top 10 on the stakes premiership starting the summer are eligible.

That hasn’t kept plenty of our bigger stables away, especially if they had a quiet spring, so in-form trainers like Peter and Dawn Williams (Pour The Wine), Lance Noble and the Mike Moroney/Pam Gerard combination have been able to target it.

Pour The Wine has been so good working her way through the grades she deserves favouritism but Lingjun Xiongfeng has been performing at an even higher level.

He was sixth in the Group 1 Thorndon Mile two starts ago after recording back-to-back wins in December that put tomorrow’s race firmly on his radar.

Gerard says he was doing so well though she decided to take him to Ellerslie for a 1200m two weeks ago to keep the him up to the mark for tomorrow.

“Initially we were going to great straight into this with no lead-up run but we added that other race and he hit the line really well over 1200m,” she explains.

“So he is absolutely ready for the 1500m and he seemed to like the new Ellerslie that day so I don’t see it being a problem.”

A potential issue for both Lingjun Xiongfeng and Pour The Wne is that they can get back in their races, although that may not be as much of an issue for Pour The Wine tomorrow as she has a good draw and the step up to 1500m will see a slower early tempo.

The Rangitoto Classic has achieved its goal of bringing a diverse field together with everything from millionaires (Riodini) and 10-year-old warhorses (Gino Severini) to CD visitors Town Cryer, Sergio and Sugah Sweet.

In the race before Gerard says Pericles (R7, No.2) is showing no signs of his improvement curve ending and from a good draw he rates highly, albeit in an even and talent-laden field.

The stable will then cast their eyes across the Tasman for the A$ 1 million Australian Guineas (6.15pm) where they have Pendragon starting from barrier 14 in the Group 1 that also sees Quintessa representing New Zealand.

“Mike says Pendragon couldn’t be better and he is such a fast beginner we think he might get across plenty of those inside him pretty quickly,” says Gerard.

“Mike has been surprised how few people over there are rating the Kiwi three-year-old form but that could be good for the punters who stick with him.”

Hastings features move to Taupō

The two three-year-old races from Wednesday’s abandoned Hastings meeting will now be held at the Taupo meeting next Friday.

The Group 2 Lowland Stakes and a three-year-old 1300m were to be held at the Hastings meeting that was called off half way through when heavy rain fell on the hard track.

NZTR bosses looked at an array of options, including running both races at Otaki next Wednesday, but settled on the more central Taupo meeting as the better option.

The Lowland will be the last lead-up to the New Zealand Oaks at Trentham on March 16 while the 1300m three-year-old race acts as a crucial lead-in to the Wellington Guineas the same weekend.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.