Winton training partners Brian Ridley and Brendon Black have a great chance to extend their lead in the national strike rate competition when Le Chocolat contests the feature flat race at the Oamaru Jockey Club's meeting on Sunday.
The Star Way four-year-old has won his last two starts and should get
conditions to suit - a soft track - for the 2200m race at Oamaru.
"He's pretty promising," Black said yesterday. "He's getting over a stone bruise he got about a month ago, but he still managed to win last start [over 1600m in an intermediate at Wingatui on May 17].
"He's a trier, definitely the sort of horse I'd like to get a go at the New Zealand Cup," Black said.
As the winner of just two races, Le Chocolat concedes 5.5kg to topweight Audacious.
Black has engaged Lance Robinson for the gelding, who will carry 52.5kg.
The biggest threats to Le Chocolat would appear to be the consistent Portrait and Ballina Lad.
The Ridley-Black partnership has had 15 winners this season from 44 starters.
Their other runner at Oamaru on Sunday will be the maiden Le Bourget in race nine (1600m).
The Oamaru club is staging two hurdle races after getting enough acceptors to be able to split the event.
Guard Mann, Cairnbrae and Eye Chance look the pick of the first hurdle, while Pickpocket, Pal's Chance and Seraglio have good prospects in the second.
Meanwhile, jumps jockeys are an increasingly rare breed in the South Island and Riverton trainer Kerry King is searching for a rider for The Rented Mule, a former winner of the Oamaru Cup.
Her other hurdler, Golden Apple, will be ridden by Kalai Selvan.
The Oamaru club would usually run both a hurdle and steeplechase, but dropped the chase some months ago.
Supporters of jumps racing, led by riders Tane Belsham and Debbie Kennedy, banded together to get extra sponsorship to help secure the second hurdle race.
- NZPA
