Racing: Wayne Hillis on a Group One mission with his main players

Livin' On A Prayer. Photo / Trish Dunell

Wayne Hillis has regrouped his main players after the New Zealand Cup meeting and is preparing to target further major races over the next few months.

Livin' On A Prayer, Watch This Space, Bit Lippy and Imelda Mary all raced at the three-day New Zealand Cup meeting and are being readied for Group One assignments.

"They've all been freshened up since Riccarton and have done well," the Matamata trainer said.

"Though they didn't win down there they all went pretty well."

Livin' On A Prayer, co-bred and part-owned by Hillis, will be the first of the quartet to be put to a G1 test this summer. The Redwood five-year-old is being set for the Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) at Ellerslie on January 1 and the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham 18 days later.

Livin' On A Prayer headed to Riccarton with a last-start second in the Gr.3 Taranaki Breeders' Stakes (1400m) at Hawera and was second to Casaquinman in the Listed Pegasus Stakes (1000m) on the first day, but failed to flatter in her main mission, the Gr.2 Coupland's Bakeries Mile.

"I stuffed up," Hillis said. "She had a jumpout here before she went down and I thought she might need a run so I lined her up the first day.

"She shouldn't have run in the Pegasus. It took the edge off her for the Coupland's Mile."

Livin' On A Prayer has won up to 1500m and Hillis has no qualms about her shaping up in the Railway. "She's got a good record over 1200m."

Watch This Space also contested the Coupland's Bakeries Mile and finished fifth behind Te Akau Shark in the hands of Michael Coleman.

"He went a good race, but Mickey said in hindsight when he was outside the leader he probably should have let him roll," Hillis said. A Group Two winner of nine races, Watch This Space will be attempting to go one better in the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) next month after finishing second to Stolen Dance last year.

"He'll kick off at Te Rapa on Saturday in the 1400m open sprint (Gr.3 J. Swap Contractors Sprint)," Hillis said. "He'll then go for the Rich Hill Mile at Ellerslie before the Thorndon."

Bit Lippy's main mission is the Levin Classic at Trentham on January 12. "He'll run at Ellerslie on Boxing Day in a three-year-old 1400m then go to the Levin Classic," Hillis said.

Imelda Mary's Riccarton trip resulted in a fifth to Media Sensation in the 1000 Guineas (1600m).

"She'll run here at Matamata next start over 1600m and hopefully she won't be a maiden after that."

- NZ Racing Desk