Aegon will join Desert Lightning in the Kiwi-trained raid on next week’s A$4 million All-Star Mile (1600m) after receiving a wildcard for the race on Tuesday alongside fellow New Zealand-bred Ayrton.
Trainer Andrew Forsman was delighted to secure a berth in the rich feature and is looking forward to heading back to Caulfield with Aegon, who has won the Gr.3 Moonga Stakes (1400m) and placed in the Gr.1 PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at the Melbourne track.
“I am thrilled to get a spot,” Forsman said. “We were running short of options and there wasn’t a lot else on the radar for him in New Zealand.
“He has got form behind Mr Brightside at the track, he is a winner there and has run some good races. The positive is that with Buffalo River and Pride Of Jenni there it is going to be a truly run race.”
Aegon finished ninth behind Mr Brightside in the All-Star Mile at The Valley last year and Forsman is hoping for a better showing in this year’s edition back at the more familiar Caulfield track.
“We were disappointed that day and all we could put it down to was him getting a bit lost at The Valley,” Forsman said. “He was off the bridle a long way out and got warmed up when he straightened up. It will be nice to be back at Caulfield where he has performed well.”
The son of Sacred Falls secured his spot in the race with his runner-up performance behind La Crique in the Gr.1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) a fortnight ago, beating All-Star Mile adversary Desert Lightning.
“It was brilliant,” Forsman said. “He copped some interference at the top of the straight. It was a bit of a messy race when they are panning across the track like that. To his credit, he picked himself up and went again. He was strong at the line and I think that run will bring him on too.”
A frequent traveller across the Tasman, Aegon will fly to Melbourne and join Forsman’s Flemington barn on Sunday ahead of next Saturday’s assignment.
“He is familiar with the surrounds over there so he will have a serious gallop here on Saturday morning and fly over and have one gallop leading into the race,” Forsman said.
Meanwhile, closer to home, Forsman is looking forward to testing Wren’s Oaks credentials in Friday’s Gr.2 Little Avondale Lowland Stakes (2000m) at Taupo.
The three-year-old fillies’ feature was originally set to take place at Hastings last week, however, the race was transferred to Friday’s meeting after the races were abandoned at Hawke’s Bay due to track conditions.
With the Lowland Stakes being just eight days out from the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m), Forsman said it wasn’t ideal, but they have been left with no alternative to test their filly ahead of the Oaks.
“The way it all played out it is the only option to give her a chance to prove if she is an Oaks filly,” Forsman said. “It is unfortunate for all of the connections in the race.
“The positive with her is that she is coming off a little bit of a freshen-up. She was fresh-up at New Plymouth (10th in the Listed Oaks Prelude, 1800m) and it wasn’t the worst run considering. She will hopefully get her chance at Taupo to prove if she is worth pressing onto the Oaks with.”
Looking ahead to the weekend, Forsman will have two contenders at Ellerslie, including promising stayer Good Oil in the Gr.2 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m).
It will be the third consecutive run on Ellerslie’s new StrathAyr track for the five-year-old son of Dalghar, having placed in the Gr.2 Avondale Cup (2400m) a fortnight ago and posted the same result in the Nathans Memorial (2200m) last week.
“He is probably getting there six months to a year sooner than ideal, but he is in the race, he is in good form, and he seems a happy horse,” Forsman said. “He will put himself in the race and he always tries hard.”
Forsman will also be represented by four-year-old gelding Mr Mojo Risin’, who will have his first start in New Zealand in nearly a year when he lines-up in the SNG Media (1400m).
The son of Deep Field was runner-up in the Listed Wanganui Guineas (1340m) and Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) last season before heading across the Tasman to campaign out of Forsman’s Melbourne barn.
He has returned to his homeland and Forsman is looking forward to seeing how he performs first-up this weekend.
“He is at that spot in the ratings where there are not a lot of options for him,” he said. “While the stakes money is still around at Ellerslie, we thought it would be a nice starting point."