Glamour gallopers hit the road to maintain fitness during summer lull

El Vencedor is returning to Te Rapa to defend his Herbie Dyke title but will need a lead-up race first. Photo / Kenton Wright

With a six-week gap between two of summer’s major weight-for-age middle-distance features, trainers of leading candidates have taken a variety of approaches to their preparations.

The first of those races, the Group 1 Zabeel Classic (2000m), was contested at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, and the second of them, the Group 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes, is scheduled for Te Rapa on February 7.

Last year’s Herbie Dyke Stakes winner El Vencedor has been confirmed to run in the Group 3 Powerworx Taranaki Cup (1800m) at New Plymouth on January 24, while 2024 winner Legarto will use the Group 2 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham on January 17 as her lead-up to the $700,000 Te Rapa feature.

While neither option is ideal, they’re both considered by connections as a means to an end in having their charges at full fitness for the Herbie Dyke Stakes.

“There is a glaring gap with no similar race between the Zabeel and Herbie Dyke, so that means running at New Plymouth two weeks before Te Rapa,” El Vencedor’s trainer Stephen Marsh said.

“The timing is good and with the conditions being set weights and penalties, we know he’ll carry 59 kilos. There was a potential catch with New Plymouth clashing with the Karaka Millions meeting, but we’ve been lucky to engage an experienced jockey in Jonathan Riddell.”

The availability of Ryan Elliot is one factor in trainers Ken and Bev Kelso opting for the Thorndon Mile – now a handicap as opposed to its earlier weight-for-age conditions – as Legarto’s Herbie Dyke lead-up.

“It means dropping back in distance but in her favour is that the handicapper has indicated that she will carry 58 kilos in the Thorndon, which will enable Ryan to stay with her,” Ken Kelso said.

“We needed a race of some sort given the gap between Ellerslie and Te Rapa, and the trip down to Trentham should benefit her as well.

“We did consider the Trentham Stakes on the same day as the Thorndon, but we weren’t that keen to step her up to 2100m and more importantly the set-weight and penalty conditions meant we would have had to find another rider.”

Training partners Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott will settle on a trial outing at Pukekohe on January 20 for Waitak ahead of his Herbie Dyke Stakes bid.

“We’re happy to keep him ticking over and give him a nice hitout at Pukekohe,” Scott said. “That should be all he needs along with his standard trackwork to have him in the right order for Te Rapa.”

Scott also reports that Victorian-based jockey Damian Lane will ride Checkmate in the Group 3 Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m) on the Karaka Millions card.

Lane’s other engagements on January 24 include the Hayes Racing filly Torture in the Karaka Millions 2YO, the Mark Walker/Sam Bergerson-trained Espionage in the Group 1 Sistema Railway (1200m) and the Stephen Marsh-trained To Cap It All in the Group 3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy.

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk