Racing: Stable on roll with eyes on Wanganui Cup

Quintessentially is a good chance in the Wanganui Cup. Photo / Race Images

Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie have the Listed Wanganui Cup (2040m) on Saturday in their sights, but before that attempt to maintain their winning roll at Rotorua today.

The Maungatautari trainers enjoyed a purple patch of form last weekend when producing Maltese Ruby to win at New Plymouth last Friday and Donizetti to follow suit at Awapuni the following day.

The double brought up seven wins for the stable this season, equalling the tally it recorded for all of last season. Four of those wins have come this month with Seraphim and Osama Blue also successfully sporting the well-known colours of owner-breeder Sir Peter Vela.

Today they will be saddling up Verdant, Siren Call and Libretti in a bid to stretch their season tally and on Saturday will chase black-type with last-start placegetter Quintessentially.

"We didn't have a good run last season with a few things going wrong, including Rasa Lila getting colic and being retired," Ramsay said. "But lately things have turned around for us. The team is starting to fire up and we've got some good chances this week.

"I give Quintessentially a chance in the Wanganui Cup. She's had a couple of runs now and I thought her run at Tauranga was a good effort.

"She was supposed to run at Te Aroha over 1600m but the races got called off so she had to go straight up to 2100m at Tauranga."

Quintessentially won her first two starts and made it three wins from her first four outings when winning a qualifying leg of the Dunstan Feeds Championship at Ellerslie 11 months ago.

Although she hasn't won in six subsequent starts, she has picked up a couple of placings and ran sixth in the Listed NZ St Leger (2500m) at Trentham last March. She has also given the impression she is now ready to take the next step, according to Ramsay.

"She's five now and more mature," he said.

"She's nominated for the Cups and we'll just see how she comes up."

Quintessentially holds nominations for the Avondale and Auckland Cups as well as the Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship Final and her connections are keen to get some well-needed black print to boost the value of the High Chaparral mare.

- NZ Racing Desk