Racing: Big names open season in commanding fashion at Te Rapa

Prowess winning the Karaka Million 3-yo at Pukekohe in January. Photo / Supplied

The superstars of New Zealand racing that returned at Te Rapa yesterday may prove to be shooting stars for domestic race fans.

Two of the glamour girls who ploughed through the boggy Te Rapa trial track best, Imperatriz and Prowess, will be heading to Melbourne without racing in New Zealand while the weather could decide if Legarto joins them.

Most of the really big names in the thoroughbred code were on show yesterday in a remarkable day of trials and few let their fans down.

While trials will count for little come the biggest race days in the spring, most of the group 1 winners from last season will have at least given their trainers reason to smile on the trip home.

Last season’s 2000 Guineas winner Pier looked forward and fluid beating NZ 1000 and Australian Guineas heroine Legarto in the 900m catchweight trial before Pier’s stablemate Tulsi looked very improved winning her heat.

But it was back to the biggest names in the next series of trials as first On The Bubbles, then Imperatriz and finally Prowess won in commanding fashion.

Later in the day NZ Derby and Herbie Dyke winner Sharp N Smart returned over 1100m, at a stage of the day when the track had been decently beaten up, and wasn’t pushed to finish fifth.

Sharp N Smart is likely to have at least one start in New Zealand, at either Ruakaka or Hastings on September 9 before he heads to Australia for a campaign that could ultimately include the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

Legarto too could race here at least once with co-trainer Ken Kelso keen to start in the Tarzino at Hastings if the track isn’t soaked.

“I am very happy with the trial. Once she balanced up, she found the line well,” Ken Kelso said. “It was a nice day out. The track was reasonably heavy and she will improve a lot from that.”

But while those two wonderful four-year-olds could give local fans something to look forward to, co-trainer Mark Walker has confirmed Imperatriz won’t be seen here until next year, if at all.

“I was really happy with her trial on a track that was pretty heavy,” said Walker, who now trains in partnership with Sam Bergerson.

She will trial again at Taupo in three weeks then go straight to Melbourne. Walker was thrilled with former Karaka Million winner On The Bubbles, who stuck to the inside running for one of the easiest wins of the day, suggesting his second throat operation may at this stage be a success while Skew Wiff also impressed her trainer winning heat 10.

Also heading to Melbourne but with an even earlier target is Prowess, whose class overcame her aversion to the heavy track in her heat.

“We were very happy with her trial as the ground was a bit wet and not to her liking,” said Robert Wellwood, who trains the mare with Roger James.

“Warren came back and he was very pleased, so she did everything we wanted.”

Prowess is likely to kick off her spring campaign in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield on September 2.

“We’ve still got plenty of time up our sleeve and it was a nice stretch of the legs for her and she pulled up well. We’re right on target,” Wellwood said.