Racing: Graham Richardson optimistic as Bonny Lass, Snazzytavi line up in Tarzino Trophy

Bonny Lass won at Te Rapa last start. Photo / Race Images

Every racing fan already knows trainer Graham Richardson has one of the best horses in Saturday’s $400,000 Tarzino Trophy at Hastings.

But the Matamata horseman thinks he might actually have two of the best.

Richardson, who trains in partnership with Rogan Norvall, lines up Bonny Lass in the first Group 1 of the thoroughbred season and after her comprehensive win in the Foxbridge Plate at Te Rapa 12 days ago she is the obvious danger to favourite Crocetti.

The pair have met before in the race that most closely resembles Saturday’s clash, the BCD Sprint at Te Rapa in February, also a 1400m weight-for-age Group 1 run on a good track.

On that occasion, Bonny Lass led and bravely held off the then three-year-old Crocetti, who returns older and stronger for this Saturday but also has to carry more weight.

That coupled with the fact Bonny Lass (6) has drawn inside Crocetti, who will start from the tricky barrier nine, means the two edged closer in the market after the draws yesterday.

If the pair both head forward and race well it is going to take some performance from their rivals to run them both down.

“It won’t be easy because these races never are,” says Richardson.

“But I am really happy with her. She has come on since winning the Foxbridge even though we haven’t done too much with her.

“She has only had one gallop since that race, but she is spot on – albeit she will keep improving as horses tend to do at this stage of the season.

“Her coat is still to come away yet but for this race we are as happy as we can be.”

While Bonny Lass has established herself as one of our best sprinters and a punter’s sweetheart, her stablemate Snazzytavi is not as exposed but Richardson says she could rise quickly through the ranks.

“She is a really good mare and has so much potential.

“I am not saying she can win this week but I wouldn’t be surprised to see her charging late and I think she will keep developing over the summer.

“She has a lot of options. I think she might go back to Hastings for the mile in three weeks and eventually she will get over ground.

“Races like the Herbie Dyke [Te Rapa, February] could be on her programme and I’d love to try and win the Zabeel Classic with her because she is owned by Brendan and Jo Lindsay from Cambridge Stud.

“So Bonny Lass is clearly our best chance on Saturday but people should [take] notice of Snazzytavi.”

With several horses, mainly wet trackers, dropping out of the Tarzino at acceptance time the final field reduced to 11, which saw Crocetti shorten into $2 favouritism even from his wide draw.

But Bonny Lass moved from $6 to $4.80 while Skew Wiff was potentially the big loser in the draws, starting from barrier 11 and she can be expected to drift from her $6 price available last night.

The Tarzino is the highlight of a cracking start to spring with both the three-year-old races containing Group 1 winners from last season in Move To Strike (Race 5) and Velocious in the Gold Trail Stakes.

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.