Macallan was one of two winners for Wexford Stables at the subsequently abandoned Tauranga meeting. Photo / Kenton Wright
Wexford Stables’ 3-year-olds prevailed in the survival of the fittest at Tauranga on Wednesday, with Prudentia and Macallan each breaking maiden status in testing conditions.
The opening race of the day had revealed a heavy 10 track, with rain continuing to fall in the Bay of Plenty, but that was of no concern to Prudentia, who lapped up the surface in the Tauranga Racecourse Event Centre Maiden (1400m).
A half-sister to classy wet-track gallopers Cork and Little Bit Of Love, Prudentia always looked a danger on that sort of surface and was allowed to find her stride early under Warren Kennedy, settling at the tail of the field.
Race favourite Timetoplaythegame was on speed throughout and gave a sight as many faded in the straight, but powering past the pack was Prudentia, who came from last to first to score softly on the line by 2¼ lengths.
Her co-trainer Andrew Scott had expected a bold showing from the filly after a luckless run last start at Ellerslie and his confidence was justified.
“She was pretty unlucky last time and we had a strong belief that she was going to handle the conditions,” he said. “She’s fit and she’s got a good bit of education under her now.
“It seems to be the way home, typical of the heavy ground to be settling in and heading out wide. She got her chance to breathe and get a rhythm going so she could really stay on well.
“She’s got a future going through this sort of ground, she’s a big, robust filly who is going to crack on through the winter months.
“Hopefully she runs a mile and a bit further, but it’s great for the syndicate with Kylie [Bax] and the team. They’ve been very patient with her, she’s rising 4 now so hopefully she can keep cracking on.”
A daughter of Proisir, Prudentia was bred by the Goldeye Trust and is raced by the Bloodstock Achieving Xcellence I’m Pru Syndicate, managed by Bax. She is the fourth foal to race out of Little Bit Irish, all of whom have been winners, and Cork, a multiple stakes performer.
The track continued to deteriorate through to race four, where stablemate Macallan showed plenty of fight to deliver a winning debut.
In the colours of owner-breeder Lib Petagna’s JML Bloodstock, Macallan had put the writing on the wall when winning his most recent trial at Ellerslie. This had him as second favourite behind Miss Fladgate in the Tierra Maiden 3YO (1200m).
The son of Ardrossan showed good early speed from a wide gate and jockey George Rooke pressed on to the lead, where he remained until Beau Luca strode up to take over at the 600m.
It looked like Beau Luca may have put a winning advantage on the field, but feeling the pinch at the 200m, he began to tire and Macallan came charging through, finding enough in the closing stages to win over a late-closing Gracetheace.
“We came to the races with high levels of confidence today, he trialled particularly well at Ellerslie and he’s a horse that we, and Elsdon Park, have been very patient with,” said Scott, who trains in partnership with Lance O’Sullivan.
“He’s finally really starting to mature, he was quite a gangly horse that took a while to furnish but now he’s a strong gelding who was fit for the conditions today. In saying that, he’s a very quick horse and the quicker the ground he gets on, the quicker he’ll run.
“It was pure ability and a good bit of guts that got him through the conditions.”
While wetter tracks may be easier to come by this preparation, Scott said they will have a preference for better ground where possible.
“We may look to keep him in work and keep cracking on with him, we’ve been patient, so we’d like to build a campaign with him and get through the grades,” he said.
“I think he will do so pretty quickly if we can pick some nice tracks for him.”
Macallan is the first foal out of two-win Ocean Park mare Quizzy Lizzy, who scored both of her victories on heavy tracks. The daughter of Ocean Park is a half-sister to stakes winners Showemup and Pierina.
The meeting at Tauranga was abandoned after race four because of heavy and persistent rain, consequential track conditions and visibility issues.
– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk