Horse racing: High hopes for Lynsey Satherley and Supreme Heights at Whanganui

Supreme Heights will contest the Listed AGC Training Stakes WFA 1600 at Whanganui today. Photo / Race Images

Mark Brosnan is hoping to add another stakes win to Supreme Heights' burgeoning record
when she contests the Listed AGC Training Stakes WFA 1600 at Whanganui today.

She boasts an imposing record in black-type company, having won twice at Group 3
level and placed at stakes level on another three occasions, from just the seven starts.

That included a runner-up result behind Pop Star Princess when fresh-up in the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) last month, which duly pleased her Matamata trainer.

"I was very pleased with the run, she was beaten by a fitter horse on the day and she took
the short-cut, while we went wide, and it's the way it worked out," Brosnan said.

Supreme Heights will jump from barrier four with Lynsey Satherley aboard today, but
Brosnan said the inside gate may not be so favourable at Whanganui, on what was rated a
Heavy10 track on Wednesday morning.

"At Whanganui you are generally coming down the outside, so an inside draw might not be a good thing," he said.

"But it [track conditions] doesn't seem to worry her, she seems to go on all sorts of tracks."

The daughter of Jimmy Choux will likely have one more run this preparation before heading for a short spell ahead of the spring.

"She will probably have this run and then maybe Tauranga, and then she will have a bit of a break and we will bring her back in for the spring," Brosnan said.

"She is not a summer horse, I think she is a spring-autumn horse."

Satherley rode a treble at the Cambridge all-weather meeting on Wednesday, taking her record to five wins from 15 rides on the new polytrack surface, which had its first race meeting a fortnight ago.

"It was a good day. I thought I could win one but to ride three was pretty good and really did exceed my expectations," Satherley said.

"Clever Ruds was the one I expected to win. She goes pretty well."

Satherley's success at the two Cambridge meetings over the past couple of weeks has seen her surge up the jockey's premiership and taken her tally for the season to 23 wins, boosting her confidence.

"It's like that for all jockeys. When you are riding winners, you are more confident. When you are going well, you are going out for each race in a better frame of mind," Satherley said.

"I ride a lot of outsiders but trainers do notice when you are riding winners and ideally that leads to getting on better horses. Confidence breeds confidence and that helps. It's good winning races but I'm not taking anything for granted. I'll just be working hard to find my next winner."

Satherley comes to Whanganui for three rides today, including feature mounts aboard the Brosnan-trained Supreme Heights and Express Yourself for New Plymouth trainer Robbie Patterson in the Listed John Turkington Forestry Castletown Stakes (1200m).

"I'm looking forward to riding down there on Saturday, especially Supreme Heights again. She'll be even better with that last run under her belt and it doesn't look an overly strong race.

"She didn't really handle the track at Rotorua last time. She was dipping and diving until I got out onto the better ground and that's when she really got stuck into her best work.

"The 2-year-old of Robbie Patterson's looks a good chance in an even race too. And Mark's other horse [Leicalot] ran really well for second last start and she looks a winning chance too."

– NZ Racing Desk