Racing: Star-studded show at Matamata as top horses return to action

Ashvin Goindasamy on Tiptronic wins the Zabeel Classic. Photo / Photosport

The most star-studded equine line up of the racing season will be on show at Matamata tomorrow but none of them will be racing.

The two trials before the race meeting are for black-type horses only and are headlined by a host of stars back from Australia, with some getting ready to return there.

The biggest of the big names is Probabeel, the Horse of the Year who will take on a potential All-Star Mile rival in cult hero Elephant in the open catchweight 1050m first trial at 1.22pm.

Against them will be NZ Oaks winner Amarelinha and last-start Group 2 winner Markus Aurelius.

Probabeel rarely trials well fresh-up, usually waiting until the hood is applied before she starts really stretching her legs or her lungs but trainer Jamie Richards is happy with her condition and she will head straight to Australia for what will be her last campaign.

Elephant, who won over fans on both sides of the Tasman during a breakthrough spring campaign, could potentially race here before heading back to Australia.

"We are really happy with him but he hasn't done too much this time yet," says co-trainer Emma-Lee Browne.

"Troy Harris will ride him in the trial and we are considering starting him in the 1400m (BCD Sprint) at Te Rapa on February 12.

"There are also races for him in Melbourne and Sydney that day and our main aim is the All-Star Mile but we will need some votes to get in."

The A$5million All-Star Mile rotates between the three main Melbourne tracks and returns to Flemington on March 19, with the majority of the field chosen by public votes.

As one of Australasia's glamour horses Probabeel should have no problem securing her votes so parochial Kiwis wanting to see two New Zealand reps in the race could do worse than giving Elephant their vote, which can be done online.

The possibility of Elephant taking on Entriviere and Levante in the BCD Sprint will have Te Rapa boss Andrew Castles and plenty of punters licking their lips, with the latter two glamour mares to clash in the Telegraph at Trentham this Saturday first.

Tomorrow's second trial at 1.37pm feature the return of last season's best juvenile Sword Of State against his stablemate rival On The Bubbles, along with Aegon and the Richardson/Norvall pair of Tiptronic and Bonny Lass.

Add in last-start Hallmark Stud winner Festivity and 1000 Guineas winner Kahma Lass and you have one of the most elite trials programmed in New Zealand in recent years.

Kahma Lass is joining Probabeel in Australia while On The Bubbles will use the trial to top off his fitness for the Karaka Classic Mile on Saturday week, for which he is now the $1.70 favourite.

Sword Of State will have his first start in New Zealand since winning the Group 1 Diamond Stakes last March when he races in the Almanzor Trophy on Karaka Million night, with Bonny Lass also heading that way.

"Both of ours are going to Karaka Million night, with Tiptronic returning to the Karaka Cup," said co-trainer Richardson.

"So they are only having quiet trials on Wednesday to tick them over and I don't care if they finish second last and last."

Richardson will use a claiming apprentice for the $110,000 Karaka Cup after being informed Tiptronic, who won that race last year and the Zabeel Classic last start, will get at least 63kgs in the 2200m handicap.

Co-trainer Andrew Forsman will use the trial to determine whether Aegon should head to the Group 1 Thorndon at Trentham on January 29, which is his most likely target even though he isn't nominated yet and so therefore is not in the TAB market.