Racing: Yearling buy may prove to be an asset for Ritchie

Shaune Ritchie. Photo / APN

Now the Karaka yearling sales dreamers may start listening to Cambridge trainer Shaune Ritchie when he comes knocking.

Ritchie was stuck with the $50,000 High Chaparral yearling Hidden Asset himself for six months after last year's sale.

No one, it seemed, wanted a yearling better suited to chewing through feed bills as an unraced 2-year-old than recouping his purchase price on the track.

If all goes to plan at Ellerslie tomorrow, however, Ritchie and the large band of faithful owners he finally did rope together may enjoy the last laugh.

The winner's cheque in the group two Classic Hits Championship Stakes (2100m) alone is $60,000.

But, more important, the first three home gain automatic entry into the $2.2 million New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie on March 5.

Check back in with Ritchie after tomorrow's acid test about whether he's a serious chance to pull off back-to-back Derbys. The Ritchie-trained Military Move pulled off a minor upset to win this year's event.

Everything so far, though, indicates that Ritchie's Derby plan with Hidden Asset is on track.

The lightly framed gelding burst into calculations with an impressive last-start 1600m maiden win at Ellerslie on December 12.

Rider James McDonald was able to put Hidden Asset to sleep one out and one back before skipping clear untested in the straight.

Neither McDonald nor Ritchie is fazed by the step up in opposition and distance (2100m) tomorrow in just his third raceday appearance.

The Championship Stakes is hardly what you would call an imposing group two - most rivals are fresh out of maidens - and Hidden Asset has all the right staying credentials on the dam side.

His mum, Fragile Asset, is a half-sister by Zabeel to the Frank Ritchie-trained Bonecrusher, winner of the 1985 New Zealand Derby with Shaune as strapper.

"I've been looking for yearlings with a connection to Bonecrusher and all his natural attributes for the last 20 years and I haven't found one remotely like him," said Ritchie. "This one isn't either, but he's a real Zabeel style of horse with a lot of potential.

"My grandfather Merv always used to say that if a horse shows promise and has got a pedigree, nine times out of 10 he'll deliver for you, so I'm relying a bit on that."

Rival trainer Donna Logan, however, had some bad news for Hidden Asset's camp yesterday.

Logan and co-trainers Dean Logan and Chris Gibbs were leaning towards taking on the colts and geldings with Shamabelle in the Championship Stakes.

Shamabelle was also entered in the New Zealand Bloodstock Royal Stakes (2000m) but Logan feels the filly may be better suited to the 2100m event.