Horse racing: Trial the Catalyst for return to top

Catalyst is on the comeback trail after a trial at Avondale yesterday. Photo / Trish Dunell

Forgotten superstar galloper Catalyst is just 10 days away from a comeback after looking ready to roll at the Avondale trials yesterday.

But trainer Tony Pike is warning punters not to get too carried away with his surprise return in the Foxbridge Plate at Te Rapa on Saturday week, as Catalyst has far richer spring targets and a lot of lost time to make up.

Catalyst was a hard-held fourth in a 1000m catchweight trial won by the talented Outfit yesterday, being kept wide on the heavy track and not given his head.

"He hated the track conditions but did exactly what we wanted," said Pike. "It has been a long road to get him back to being this close to the races, so we didn't want to do anything silly [yesterday]."

Catalyst was the rock star three-year-old of his season in 2019-20, recording some staggering wins in New Zealand before a spine-tingling battle with Alligator Blood in the Hayes Stakes at Flemington in February 2020.

He raced only once the next season, fading to last behind Sydney sprint kings Classique Legend and Eduardo in The Shorts at Randwick before a list of niggles caught up with him.

"He hasn't had one major problem, just all sorts of little things go wrong, but he looks great and his work at home has been the work of a very, very good horse," says Pike. "So we are hoping he holds together and we see the best of him again."

Catalyst will head to Te Rapa next weekend even though Pike believes it isn't his ideal track, especially with heavy rain forecast this week likely to see the track wet, but he says he will need a run regardless.

"No matter how good he is, he is going to need his first run back in two years, so I'd rather that be in the Foxbridge than two weeks late in the Tarzino. We will head to Te Rapa, even though I don't think he can win there, and then to Hastings for the first two legs of the Triple Crown."

Catalyst is rated a $10 chance for the Foxbridge, with last-start Ruakaka winner Imperatriz the TAB's $2.40 top elect but he has been backed into $8 in the Tarzino, with Troy Harris likely to ride.

Pike will also have last season's Waikato Guineas winner Field Of Gold in the Triple Crown but says the $330,000 Livamol Classic on October 15 is clearly his best chance of snaring a leg.

"The 2040m will suit him by the time we get to the last leg, and by then, some of the better Group 1 horses might be out of play.

"But he won his trial well [yesterday] and I think he could be in for a good season."

Pike won't have to wait for his two older stars to return for his chance at his first black type of the season, with Pacific Dragon in Saturday's $85,000 Cambridge Breeders Stakes at Group 3 level at Ruakaka.

The last-start Ryder Stakes winner clashes with last season's Group 1 Sistema winner Lickety Split when that outstanding filly returns in the 1200m highlight of the meeting.

Pike also has the in-form Red Vienna in a strong $50,000 race at the Cambridge synthetic track meeting today and would love to win the race, not just for the excellent midweek stake.

"The race is named in honour of Richard Bright, who was a great fella and ran the local pub the Group One Turf Bar, so there will be emotion attached to the race.

"I'd love to win it but it is a very strong field for a Wednesday synthetic race."

● Also back at yesterday's trials were two of last season's elite juveniles in Maven Bella and Dynastic.

Maven Belle was a strong second close-up behind Field Of Gold in her 1000m catchweight.

Dynastic needed to be asked for more of an effort as he mucked around on the home bend in his trial, sticking on for third but looking unsuited by the track.