Horse racing: Wild Hawke’s Bay weather leaves perfect track for Tarzino Trophy

Skew Wiff won the Tarzino Trophy at Hastings last year. Photo / Race Images

Hastings track manager Bryce Mildon was laughing yesterday when he had to water the track for Saturday’s $400,000 Tarzino Trophy.

“I was thinking imagine explaining to people around the country that the track is so good we need to water it,” smiles Mildon.

Not long into his new role, but vastly experienced at preparing tracks both here and in Australia, Mildon is the man charged with having the Hastings surface ready for the first Group 1 of the New Zealand season and it is a case of so far, so good.

“I know it must seem strange and even a bit unbelievable to punters who have watched heavy track racing all winter but our track was a Good 4 this morning,” said Mildon on Monday night.

“So we irrigated today and we have a bit of rain forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday but if that comes that will only save us irrigating those days.

“Then it is supposed to be fine for the remainder of the week and if that all pans out that way I think we will present a Good 4 track first thing on Saturday morning.”

Mildon says the unexpectedly good surface has come about after a week of strong winds in Hawke’s Bay as well as spring having well and truly sprung in the region.

“It has changed really quickly and the wind is a huge help.” A Good 4 track is close to ideal for the first really important race meeting of the season but could catch some horses, and therefore punters, out.

Some horses who are top class on heavy or even slow tracks either don’t enjoy a good surface or simply don’t have the galloping action or leg speed to excel on it.

Other wet trackers can get away with one run on a good surface, having reached peak fitness by racing or training on their preferred wet surface, but few wet trackers can get away with it for two starts in a row on a good track.

So the dramatic change in surface from what many horses have been racing on in recent months and comparing winter race fitness with dry track class will be an interesting punting puzzle.

One horse it clearly won’t bother is Tarzino favourite Crocetti, who now looks certain to start with the expected good conditions, as will defending champion Skew Wiff and BCD Sprint and last-start Foxbridge Plate winner Bonny Lass.

But while 20 horses remained in the race for the 16 starting spots last night, the reality is if the track is rated good on Saturday the race won’t have a full field.

The connections of both Lightning Jack and Old Town Road have already confirmed they won’t be starting, while trainer Lisa Latta says Belardo Boy is very unlikely.

Roydon Bergerson says both Town Cryer and Bradman are doubtful starters at best and Andrew Forsman is unlikely to start $10 fourth favourite Mustang Valley on a good track.

If they all pull out, a field of 13 or 14 could start in the highlight of a meeting that also includes the Gold Trail Stakes for the 3-year-old fillies and the El Roca – Sir Colin Meads Trophy.

Fields for Saturday’s meeting come out around 10.30am on Wednesday.

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.