Cheaha winning comfortably on debut at Arawa Park on Wednesday. Photo / Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Impressive debutant Cheaha was the latest of Wexford Stables’ 3-year-olds to step into the winner’s circle, and on Saturday at Ellerslie, five of his stablemates will take their place in the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m).
Cheaha, a son of Alabama Express, made five trial appearances prior to the Rotorua meeting on Wednesday, showing enough promise to close a strong favourite for the maiden contest. Settling back early for jockey Warren Kennedy, Cheaha cruised along while the long-striding Sky Do raced boldly up-front.
Cheaha had most of the field still ahead of him turning for home and Kennedy came across heels to the outside of the track, and in a matter of strides, the compact gelding was set alight and put the field away for a soft victory over Think I Got Cha. His stablemate Wounder was the other flashing finisher in the contest, the filly coming from the tail to finish fourth.
A $220,000 purchase out of Elsdon Park’s draft at the Karaka Yearling Sales, Cheaha is raced by Lance O’Sullivan, who trains the Wexford contingent alongside Andrew Scott.
“We have been patient and put a good deal of education into him at the trials and on the training track,” Scott said.
“We were pleased with his condition leading in, so it was great to see everyone’s hard work pay off and to see him quicken in the way he did was very rewarding.
“We will see how he comes through over the next couple of days before making any decisions going forward, but we’ve been patient until now, so we won’t be rushing into anything big.
“A lot of these horses haven’t raced at two and we’re fortunate that we’ve got patient clients and owners that are prepared to wait. The horses tell us when they’re ready to go and we’re making sure they’ve got very good education levels at home and at the trials before they debut.
“It certainly aids to their confidence when they get to the races.”
The stable will have a quintet of last-start winning 3-year-olds contesting the Group Three feature on Saturday, with Waikato Stud filly Sethito rating highly after her stunning maiden success at Rotorua.
“We had her going in the spring and we put her aside for a short break at Waikato Stud, where she did very well,” Scott said.
“With the blinkers on, we certainly have seen a vast improvement in her training, so we did expect her to run well. She’s gone the right way and she’s flying on the training track, she’s probably training the best of them.
“We’re expecting another top performance, we’ve always thought there was a good gallop in her.”
Prosegur, a winner in two of her three race-day appearances, and Crackercol, a full-brother to Group One winning-stablemate Waitak, are also expected to relish the 1400m journey.
“Prosegur is coming in with the most race-day experience and she’s probably got the better gate (two), which will aid her chances,” Scott said.
“She’s a filly with her confidence high, she’s had a good bed of education and from the gate, she should be right in it. She’s going to love the trip and she’s very fit.
“Crackercol be a very interesting runner. He’s taken good confidence with the blinkers on last start, and with the experience of his last run under his belt, he continues to thrive and go forward.
“He’s a horse that can quicken well on Saturday, he’ll be well-competitive. We think this is more his trip than over further, so he’ll be exciting.”
Sicillian and Ribkraka complete their representation in the race, with the former on her way towards a tilt at the Gr.2 Hallmark Stud Eight Carat Classic (1600m) and Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) over the New Year period.
“We believe she (Sicillian) is the best stayer of the fillies, so she may find the 1400 a wee bit sharp, but once she gets to a mile on Boxing Day and the 2000m on New Year’s Day, that’s when she’s really going to be hitting her straps,” Scott said.
“She’s a promising staying filly in the making and this race will set her up well for those races.
“Ribkraka is a horse that is going to appreciate getting over 1400 and further through the summer months.
“We’ve got a good opinion of him as he gets out over a mile and 2000m, so it’ll be important for him on Saturday to have a good look around Ellerslie. He’ll certainly be coming home, but they may be a touch sharp for him over the shorter trip.
“When he gets up in distance, that’s when he’ll come into his own.”
On his way to another Group One assignment, Waitak will contest the Gr.3 Concorde Stakes (1200m) earlier on the card, fresh-off a strong performance for third behind Luberon in the Gr.3 Counties Bowl (1100m).
“We had the blinkers on for the first time there and he was a lot sharper,” Scott said.
“He gets out to the 1200 and he’s improved a bit from that run, we think he’ll be hitting the line strong. While it’s an even, strong field, he certainly will make a strong account of himself, the horse is going really well.
“When he starts to hit form, he usually holds it and all going well, he’ll head to Wellington next start.”
The son of Proisir won this year’s edition of the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) and his immediate target is the Gr.1 TAB Telegraph (1200m) on January 4. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk