Racing: Southern Ocean sails to success before New Zealand Cup

Promising South Island stayer Southern Ocean showed he is on target for his tilt at the New Zealand Cup (3200m) in three weeks when he won the Listed Spring Classic (2000m) at Riccarton Park in Christchurch yesterday.

The lightly raced son of Ocean Park was having just his ninth raceday start.
The Terri Rae-trained Southern Ocean started a warm $3.80 favourite in an even field, after being narrowly beaten by race rival Dee And Gee over the same distance earlier in the month.

Forced to travel three-wide for most of the race, rider Lisa Allpress didn't panic as she had Southern Ocean travelling kindly as the pair loomed into contention approaching the long run home at Riccarton.

Southern Ocean joined issue with eventual runner-up El Gladiador at the 200m before forging to a half-length lead, which he maintained to the winning post, with Dee And Gee steaming home late for third.

Rae will now concentrate on getting Southern Ocean to the New Zealand Cup, with his final lead-up likely to be in the Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2500m) at Riccarton on November 6.

"The New Zealand Cup is his target so he will probably have a start in the Metropolitan Trophy to put the finishing touches on him," Rae said.

"There will be a few targets after Cup Week, which could include the Wellington Cup [3200m] in January."

●The depth of the three-year-old talent in the Te Akau Racing team was on display yesterday, with trainer Jamie Richards producing black-type victories at Matamata and Riccarton.

Richards swept all before him last season, winning the National Trainers' Premiership with 160 wins of which 36 were at stakes level.

It has been a slightly slower start to the season for the Matamata mentor this year, however he has started to hit his straps in recent weeks and went into overdrive yesterday with a winning treble on his home patch at Matamata that he then matched at Riccarton, making for a remarkable six wins on the day.

Among those victories were three-year-old filly Imperatriz overcoming a tardy start to win the Matamata Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) before stablemate Noverre captured the War Decree Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton.

"The team is starting to come right now," Richards quipped after the day's racing.

NZ Racing Desk