Racing: Icepin fires up for GN Guineas assault

It was not the usual path into the group two Great Northern Guineas (1600m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

But the way an underdone Icepin crushed an R80 field at Pukekohe yesterday they could be lining up to follow trainer Jason Bridgman's example.

With the handicap conditions against him and the track oddly cutting out near the fence from the 600m, Bridgman said he thought the group three winner was simply too fat to be a serious win chance.

He just knew a trial wasn't going to help shave off the extra flab Icepin had piled on since he floundered on a wet Riccarton in the 2000 Guineas earlier last month.

"I thought a 1200m trial wasn't really going to cut it for him. I wanted to get a race into him and this was the nearest thing two weeks out," said Bridgman.

"He wasn't well placed but, certainly, the class came through."

Bridgman even ordered rider Vinny Colgan to scout wide for better ground yesterday.

He just wanted to ensure Icepin at least got the Guineas hit-out he needed on a surface he preferred.

Bridgman and Colgan said Icepin was never happy from the moment they jumped in the 2000 Guineas.

"He was flat from barrier rise; Vinny said he was never on the bridle at any stage," said Bridgman.

"He's a big powerful, one-paced sort of horse who needs to run on top of the ground to have that confidence."

Aside from the Riccarton miss, Icepin kicked off his 3-year-old campaign the way he'd signed off as a juvenile - in the thick of the country's headline action.

His best effort was for a close second to Jimmy Choux in the group two Hawkes Bay Guineas (1400m), beaten just half a length.

Although only third in a second-tier 1600m event next up, the performance still gave Bridgman and owner Herbie Dyke cause for New Zealand Derby aspirations.

"He's tough enough to have a crack at the Derby; he's not your brilliant type of 3-year-old.

"The question mark will still be how far he can stay but the tempo of the race is the big thing with 3-year-olds, especially at Ellerslie."

Bridgman said his challenge now is to train and race the big-striding Pins gelding to cope with the 2400m.

The Great Northern Guineas is the next part of the race-day plans, which also include the Waikato Guineas (sponsored by Dyke) and the Avondale Guineas.

Bridgman said Icepin is likely to be one of three Derby runners for the stable, along with Encosta Diablo and last-start Eulogy Stakes winner King's Rose.

The star filly is likely to have her next race in the Royal Stakes at Ellerslie on January 1.

Waiuku co-trainer Moira Murdoch isn't quite so certain with next-up plans for her impressive winner yesterday, My My Maree, who was also deftly ridden by Colgan.

The 5-year-old's camp is just rapt to collect an overdue winner's cheque with the underrated mare.

It's been two years since her only other victory and not a lot has gone right between drinks.

A Victorian campaign last summer was washed out by rain, and on return home the horse picked up a virus which almost killed her.

"We'll just look at something over the Christmas carnival; there's a dearth of R80 events at 1600-2000m," said Murdoch. "It's just good to have this win under our belts and she'll improve a ton from that today."