Racing: Joy Anna chasing Taupo repeat today

Joy Anna winning at Taupo in August 2017. Photo / Race Images

Joy Anna's only previous visit to Taupo resulted in victory and the lightly tried mare is expected to give another bold account of herself there today.

The four-year-old, who beat the highly regarded and subsequent winner Princess Kereru on the course in August, will chase further success in the Starlight Cinema Handicap (1000m).

"She's talented and I'd expect her to go pretty close again," Tauranga trainer Mark Blackie said.

"She's thrived since her last run. In the last two weeks she might have done too well, but it's only 1000m so she should get away with it.

"As long as she comes through the run well she'll go to Rotorua 10 days later for a 1200m race."

Joy Anna was an easy debut winner last season before a minor placing and she was then spelled after an unplaced run in the Listed Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie.

"She pulled up lame and she's had a few niggling problems, but she's good now," Blackie said.

He is part of a syndicate that races Joy Anna with the Hawkins family, who operate Wentwood Grange and bred the daughter of Iffraaj.

"She's bred to go over more ground, but she shows so much speed and at the moment 1200m is probably her pet distance," Blackie said.

"At the end of this campaign I'll probably run her over 1400m and next time I think she'll get a mile and we can look for some black type for her."

Joy Anna will be ridden by the experienced Mark Hills, who has handled the mare in all of her raceday outings.

Meanwhile, the team behind exciting three-year-old prospect Embellish are plotting their final move toward Christchurch.

On the strength of an impressive last-start maiden win, the colt is the current pre-post favourite for next month's Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Christchurch.

"We're weighing up what we do next, there's only time for one more run," said Jamie Richards, who trains Embellish with Stephen Autridge.

"He could either go to the Sarten Memorial or we find an easier option and we'll make that decision in the next 10 days."

Currently at $8 and the only three-year-old in single figures for the Riccarton classic, the son of Savabeel leapfrogged to the top of the market following his breakthrough success at Ruakaka earlier this month.

"We were very pleased with the way he won and once he came to the outside he showed a good turn of foot," Richards said.

Purchased at Karaka by Te Akau principal David Ellis for $775,000 out of Waikato Stud's draft, Embellish is a brother to the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes winner Diademe.

"He was bought as a stallion so he needs to win the big races," Richards said.

The stable isn't short of Guineas contenders and also has Age Of Fire, Griffin, Heart Of Courage, Te Akau Shark and Wandering Eye in the mix.

- NZ Racing Desk