Racing: Save The Date hopes high

Save The Date's Sunshine Coast win on Sunday was "a big thrill" for Kiwi trainer Lance Noble. Photo / Trish Dunell

Lance Noble is hoping his breakthrough Australian success with Save The Date will earn the filly a black type start.

The Karaka trainer celebrated his first winner across the Tasman when the daughter of Savabeel was successful over 1400 metres at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.

"It was a big thrill and I've had a few placings before and success when I was with Roger [James], but that was my first one training on my own account," Noble said.

"Brendan and Jo Lindsay came over as well so it was a great result all round."

Noble accepted the role last year as the Lindsays' private trainer after periods in partnership with Jim Gibbs and James before striking out on his own 17 years ago.

He now has an anxious wait to see if Save The Date's win will book her place in the group three Sunshine Coast Guineas on July 1.

"I'm not sure if she's got enough prize money to get in the Guineas, but at least she's given herself a chance now," Noble said.

"She's come through the race very well and ate everything up last night.

"Even if she didn't get in the Guineas there are other options over here for her. She was quite fresh before the race so she is still on an upward plane."

Save The Date returned from a break in the autumn to post runner-up finishes at Avondale and Pukekohe Park before her Queensland campaign.

"After her next run we'll probably leave her over here for a month before we bring her home," Noble said. "This trip will be the making of her and she'll get over a bit more ground later on as well."

Meanwhile, Pukekohe trainer Nigel Tiley is testing the waters in Victoria with promising stayer Megablast ahead of a potential Australian spring campaign for the grey gelding.

The Shinko King 5-year-old finished a close second at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

"We've come here [Melbourne] because we're seriously considering bringing him back in the spring and we just wanted to bring him over and see where he sat class-wise and see how he handles the different tracks," Tiley said.

"He handled Moonee Valley very well, so Flemington will be right up his alley I think."

It won't take long for Tiley to test his theory, with Megablast lining up at Flemington on Saturday. It will be his final run before flying back to New Zealand in preparation for the spring.

"He's come through Saturday's race very well. He has eaten everything we have put in front of him since," Tiley said. "He's going to back up at Flemington over 2500m and hopefully we'll get a bit of rain on the day to just take a bit of the fire out of the track for him.

"The track [at Moonee Valley] was just a bit too firm for him. He doesn't have that explosive turn of foot when the track is a bit better."

With Ben Melham on holiday, leading Victorian jockey Beau Mertens will take the ride. He is apprenticed to Mick Kent, whose Cranbourne stable has been Tiley's base while in Victoria.

"He's having a battle with Craig Williams at the moment for the premiership, so if we were able to give him a winner that would help him that would be nice," Tiley said.

A return trip to Melbourne in the spring would likely see Megablast travel via Sydney.

"Tracks get quite hard here [Melbourne] in the spring. It'd be nice to get him to fitness with a little bit of give in the ground.

"We'd probably look at a race or two in Sydney if we came back."

Tiley said he was enjoying having a quality horse in his stable which he could campaign in Australia.

"Normally I get a good horse and it gets sold, so I don't have too many opportunities to bring a horse like Megablast over.

"I haven't travelled horses for a while, so it's good for me to get my eye back in."

- NZ Racing Desk