Patterson heads to tomorrow’s meeting having already set a new personal best by training the winners of $2,364,818 in stakes this season, including nine black-type winners.
He says Freebelle (race one, No 2) is his best chance of adding to that tomorrow in the first ride back after a short winter break for Patterson’s best mate Craig Grylls.
“She should win and it should be an easy one for Gryllsy. He might need it because he could be blowing later in the day, riding fresh-up on a heavy 10,” Patterson laughs.
The local trainer has three chances in tomorrow’s $120,000 Sinclair Ōpunakē Cup, the second-last black-type race of the season.
He rates Belles Beau (R6, No 7) as the best hope of the trio, even though he raced below his best when well beaten into third behind race rivals Belardo Boy and Make Time at Ōtaki 10 days ago.
“I am willing to forgive him as it was one of those dog wet tracks which was really holding and he just didn’t show his best,” Patterson said.
“I reckon he will go better this week but it is quite a nice field.
“Our Jumala is in there since he is her home track and it suits after a freshen-up, while Sinbin is an improving mare and this is a throw at the stumps for her to try and get black-type on her home track.”
The Cup has the makings of a top race for this time of year with Belardo Boy the obvious star but weighted accordingly, albeit only carrying 1kg more than when he beat a race rival tomorrow in Spencer in this race last year.
Add in Chajaba, Gospodin, Soldier Boy and Little Bit Of Love dropping back from some decent northern races and it becomes one of the better flat races of the deep winter, which probably isn’t much of a compliment.
Patterson has good chances across the seven-race programme with Ma Te Wa (R3, No 5) also looking for an treble.
“He has come a long way in a short time, winning a maiden and then 3-year-old race and now stepping up to Rating 75.
“That won’t be easy but clearly he hasn’t finished winning yet.”
Patterson has last-start winners Beauesk and Jeager in race five and rates Beauesk the slightly better chance.
“He is like some of the stock of Charm Spirit in that he has taken a while to get his head around racing but he has now and comes into this pretty well off.”
The stable has four runners in the last on what will be a testing day and Patterson says Catherinenz is clearly his best hope after being beaten by stablemates in her last three runs.
“I originally had her in the Ōpunakē Cup as well but because it came up so strong I moved her to this race and she has to be hard to beat.”
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.
