Racing: Perfect 10 lucky number for Cambridge pair

True Enough has drawn the outside barrier. Photo / Trish Dunell

Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman will be hoping 10 is their lucky number this weekend.

The Cambridge training partnership have drawn the outside gate with Unition and True Enough in their respective 10-horse stakes fields at Trentham on Saturday and they believe they will need every ounce of luck they can get with those gates.

Promising juvenile Unition will line-up in the group two Taranaki Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) and he will be vying to maintain his winning record after winning the Listed 2YO Stakes (1100m) at Counties on debut last month.

"He is a horse who is going to improve with racing. He is still figuring it out in a lot of respects," said Forsman yesterday.

While pleased with the China Horse Club-owned colt, Forsman is cautious about his outside barrier.

"It does make it a little bit awkward down the chute at Trentham," he said. "Drawing the outside, there will be nine horses kicking-up inside of him, which is not easy. But it's a group two, he is fit and well, so we will have a crack and hopefully he gets a bit of luck."

Last start group two Coupland's Bakeries Mile (1600m) winner True Enough will likely push forward from the draw in the group one Rydges Wellington Captain Cook Stakes (1600m).

"He has trained on really well, but he, too, has an awkward barrier," Forsman said.

"He is probably going to have to press forward and race on the pace, which at Trentham is not easy to do — to lead them up or even sit up on the pace.

"He could be left in front a fair way out, but he has trained on well and he has got to prove that he is up to these weight-for-age horses."

True Enough takes some solid form into Saturday, winning the group three Red Badge Spring Sprint (1400m) first-up this preparation in October. He then ran third over a mile at Te Rapa before going on to win the Coupland's Mile.

"He should arguably be unbeaten this prep. He has got a very good record and he is a good genuine horse," Forsman said.

Saturday's performance will dictate the remainder of True Enough's summer targets, with the group one Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic (2000m) earmarked as his next possible assignment.

"We would like to keep the option of running him in the Zabeel Classic," Forsman said. "It would be his first run over a middle distance, but if he runs out a strong mile at Trentham, it is definitely a race we would like to consider."

Captain Cook Stakes $200,000, wfa, 1600m

• 1: X4515 Shadows Cast (L Allpress, 59) 2
• 2: 31344 Dolcetto (C Johnson, 59) 8
• 3: 3X131 True Enough (J Riddell, 59) 10
• 4: X2402 Wyndspelle (J Waddell, 57) 6
• 5: 8X813 Tiptronic (C Lammas, 59) 9
• 6: 05484 He Kin Fly (L Innes, 59) 7
• 7: 0X216 Vernanme (D Johnson, 59) 1
• 8: X5043 Whenharrymetsaddle (R Elliot, 59) 5
• 9: 21X21 Supera (M Coleman, 57) 3
• 10: 20X40 Darscape Princess (J Parkes, 57) 4

- NZ Racing Desk