Te Rapa has brought the best out of Dusty Road with a career-high run of form in recent months, and owner-trainer Graeme Cameron is hoping to extend that sequence with another bold performance in Saturday’s Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m).
The Shamexpress gelding put together back-to-back wins at the Hamiltontrack earlier in this campaign, taking out a 1400m open handicap on July 27 and adding a 1200m open handicap on August 10. He blotted his form line with a seventh at Matamata in early September, but bounced back in style with a close last-start third behind Spencer and Geriatrix in the Group 3 Spring Sprint (1400m) on October 12. That race is traditionally run at Hastings, but its forced relocation to Te Rapa worked in Dusty Road’s favour.
“He’s in great form and loves Te Rapa,” Cameron said. “I thought he ran really well in that big sprint last time. He was drawn out and got caught wide – Liam [Kauri, the jockey] just wasn’t able to find a way in – but he still finished it off strongly.
“The horse is jumping out of his skin leading into this weekend. I was going to run him during that last meeting that got called off [October 28], but then I started to think about this race after that. It stood out as the next one to target. I looked at Tauranga next week as well, but I just thought it made sense to stick to what he likes, and that’s Te Rapa.
“The horse is in form, the jockey’s in form and I’m happy.”
Dusty Road has formed a highly successful partnership with 4kg claimer Kauri, whose four rides on the 5-year-old have produced two wins and that last-start placing in the Spring Sprint.
The TAB rates Dusty Road a $20 chance in a Legacy Lodge Sprint market headed by defending champion Babylon Berlin at $3.70. Short Shorts ($5.50) and Mercurial ($8) are the others in single figures.
Cameron will wait until after Saturday’s feature sprint before deciding on any other targets for Dusty Road.
“We’ll just get him through this and then I’m sure something else will crop up afterwards,” Cameron said. “We try to keep him on the fresh side, which seems to suit him. As long as the horse is happy and in form, we’ll keep going.”
