Jaarffi is already a Group 1 winner at Ellerslie, where she returns tomorrow. Photo / Kenton Wright
Jaarffi’s trip to Rotorua last Sunday only for her race to be abandoned may not have been a complete waste of time.
Because trainer Lance Noble says the return trip may see his stable star strip even fitter for take two of the Sweynesse Stakes at Ellerslie tomorrow.
The $140,000 Group 3 sprint was to have been the highlight of last Sunday’s Arawa Park meeting but that was abandoned after three races when a horse slipped.
That sees both the Sweynesse and the Staphanos Classic move to Ellerslie tomorrow to add huge depth to the already strong Windsor Park Soliloquy Stakes meeting.
Noble will have big chances in the two richest races of the day with Liguria in the Soliloquy and Jaarffi still kicking off her season in the Sweynesse on what could be a mammoth day for their owners, Cambridge Stud’s Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay, as they also have Joliestar in the A$20 million Everest in Sydney.
While any race meeting being partially abandoned is annoying, Noble says the float trip to Rotorua and back may have a similar effect as a race for his Group 1-winning mare.
“The trip away often brings them on and acts like a race or a really good gallop,” Noble said.
“She has already had a trial, which we were really happy with, and while the 1215m on Saturday is short of her best, I think she can still win.
“She might need a few things to go her way but she has that Group 1 class and its a funny thing to say, because she is now a 7-year-old, but it feels like she has finally matured.
“The move to Ellerslie will suit her better than Rotorua too, so we are taking some positives out of what was a negative last Sunday.”
The rejigged Sweynesse has seen last season’s Karaka Millions winner Dream Roca join the field and under the weight-for-age conditions she will carry just 50kg alongside fellow 3-year-old filly Perfect Chaos.
But the biggest winner out of the venue change should be Platinum Attack, who saves his best work for good surfaces, which he should get tomorrow, and at his best ranks somewhere in our best 10 sprinters.
As a true Group 1 sprinter rated 102, he comes in well under the weight-for-age scale.
Noble’s high-class 3-year-old filly Liguria gets a major draw advantage over last-start conqueror Hawea in the Soliloquy, which has over the last decade become the best form guide to next month’s New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton.
Hawea has been the clear star of the fillies ranks so far this season and was dominant over Liguria in the Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings, but the favourite faces barrier 12 tomorrow, whereas Liguria jumps from barrier 5 in the hot field.
“Our filly has come on with that race and we are really happy with her but she will need to as well because Hawea was very good down there,” Noble said.
As talented as that pair are, the Soliloquy is one of the races of the season so far and almost any of the 15 acceptors could win without totally stunning.
While Hawea still deserves to be favourite Pounce is expected to be improved back right-handed where she was so good winning fresh-up on this track two starts ago.
Noble is also predicting improved runs from his two maidens tomorrow in State Of Valour (Race 2, No 10) and Showgirl (R3, No 15) although both face wide draws on a track where the rail will be out 5.5m.
“And we have Mollify resuming in Race 8 and I think she will be in for a good campaign when she gets up over more ground.”
As for Joliestar, she has drawn perfectly at barrier 5 in the Everest but even as the reigning Australian Sprinter of the Year, she is rated a $26 chance, such is the market dominance of Ka Ying Rising.
Gallops on Saturday
1: A$20m Everest at Randwick at 6.15pm (NZT)
2: A$6.5m Caulfield Cup, Melbourne at 7.15pm (NZT)
3: A$5m King Charles III Stakes, Randwick at 7.35pm (NZT)
4: $175,000 Windsor Park Soliloquy Stakes, Ellerslie at 4.24pm
5: $140,000 Sweynesse Stakes, Ellerslie at 3.16pm
Harness
1: Canterbury Classic, Addington on Friday at 8.02pm
2: Victoria Cup, Melton on Saturday at 11.22pm (NZT)
Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.