Summer Schemer out to earn shot at elite Group 1 prize at Pukekohe

Summer Schemer (left) heads to Pukekohe on Friday looking to build on her impressive debut win. Photo / Kenton Wright, Race Images

Promising filly Summer Schemer will have the opportunity at Pukekohe to press her claims for a crack at an upcoming elite-level prize.

She will step out in Friday’s trackside.co.nz (1200m) off the back of an impressive debut victory with trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray keen to then raise the bar with the youngster.

“If she runs well, she’ll go on to the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes [Group 1, 1400m], but she would obviously need to win or be unlucky not to win and come through the race well to justify her spot,” Ritchie said.

Summer Schemer showed her class and tenacity last month to win at the first time of asking at Ellerslie under Craig Grylls, who will partner the daughter of Dirty Work again at Pukekohe.

“The form behind her is outstanding, the second horse [State Of Valour] ran third in the Sistema [Group 1, 1200m] and the third horse [Seize The Day] has come out and won a maiden well,” Ritchie said.

“We presented her in very big order for her first start and she has tightened right up. She looks like a real racehorse now.”

While Summer Schemer is just making her way, the curtain has come down on the career of well-performed stayer Mahrajaan.

“He’s been retired and has obviously been a very good horse to us, winning a New Zealand Cup [Group 3, 3200m] and an Auckland Cup [Group 2, 3200m],” Ritchie said.

“It’s rare to do it in the same season, because you have to peak them twice at two miles. It takes a pretty special horse to achieve it, and he was a bit unlucky not to have been the New Zealand Stayer of the Year.

“The criteria is to do with Group 1s and the fact that our cup races aren’t at that level wasn’t his fault, but he was the first to win both in a season in 60 years.

“He’s going to a lovely home in Taranaki and will be on the ex-thoroughbred show course, which will be great.”

The call to retire Mahrajaan was made after his midfield finish this month in his second Auckland Cup tilt.

“We thought we had him right at his very best, but it was a slowly run race at the end of the day. He didn’t perform up to his best,” Ritchie said.

The American-bred son of Kitten’s Joy was sourced out of a Tattersalls Horse in Training Sale for 75,000 guineas (about $180,000) in 2022, as was Davideo two years later for 130,000 guineas and hopes are for him to follow a similar path.

“He’s had a couple of minor issues, not career threatening but just niggly ones so he’s in the paddock and we’ll get him ready for the spring and try and do what Mahrajaan did in the cups,” Ritchie said.

Meanwhile, the stable also has the Waikato Stud-bred and raced Nereus paid up for Friday’s Myracehorse Handicap (2100m) but a call on his involvement has yet to be made.

“I’ve got to talk to Mark [Chittick], but we galloped him this [Wednesday] morning and think he’s ready to go into the race. We have yet to make that final decision, we’ll see how he does in the next 48 hours,” Ritchie said.

Nereus has won six races, including the 2024 Group 2 Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m) and the Trentham race may again feature on his programme.

“He’s got a good record at Wellington, it’s set weights and penalties, which suits him, and it’s 2100m and that’s about where he sits best, distance-wise,” Ritchie said.

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk