Billy Boy spearheads a strong line-up for Jo Rathbone at Riccarton where he will chase another prestige jumping title on Saturday.
The two-time Wellington Hurdles (3200m) winner will take aim at the Avon City Ford Sydenham Hurdles (3100m) ahead of a crack at the Hospitality NZ Canterbury Grand National Hurdles (4200m).
Rathbone has six runners engaged on the opening day and they travelled without incident from their Wanganui base.
“We got here on Wednesday, and all the horses are good and happy,” she said.
Billy Boy collected his second Trentham title two starts back and completed his southern preparation with an unplaced outing on the flat at Waverley.
“He had a little bit of time between runs and we just wanted to give him a hit-out,” Rathbone said.
“He’s very bright and well and if everything goes to plan on Saturday then he’ll run in the National.”
Hamish McNeill’s mount Billy Boy will be opposed by stablemate Affordable, whose fortunes will be guided by Jay Kozaczek.
“He’s very promising, but he does a few things wrong and can switch off in a race. If he does everything right, he’s certainly got the ability,” Rathbone said.
Affordable made a winning hurdle debut at Trentham before he finished a respectable fifth in the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles (3000m).
“He’s still improving, he does jump well enough and definitely has a lot of promise for the future,” Rathbone said.
“He’s still got ability on the flat as well, but he doesn’t always try overly hard.”
The stable will also be double handed in the Speight’s Summit Ultra On Tap Maiden Hurdles (3100m) with Overdraft and Derryman involved.
The former ran second in his first outing over the smaller fences at Woodville and will again be partnered by McNeill while Derryman will make his jumping debut in the hands of Kozaczek.
“I rate both of them,” Rathbone said. “Overdraft obviously went very well last start and has that under his belt and will jump better for it.
“Derryman can certainly jump and has had several jumping trials, he hasn’t been over the distance but he’s tough and seems like he’ll keep going.
“On what he’s showed so far, I don’t see any reason why he won’t go a very good race.
“They are hard to split, I guess experience does count for a lot and Overdraft has that one race on his side, but Derryman has jumped very well in his trials.”
Rathbone’s opening day involvement at Riccarton will be completed by flat contenders Guzzler in the Winter Fashions Here – 8 August (1200m) and Gold Club Handicap (1600m) hope Bak de Ace.
“I’m really happy with both of them, I was slightly apprehensive about bringing Bak de Ace down because he was a little bit difficult when he came to me and it was whether the trip may wind him up,” she said.
“But he’s very happy and relaxed and certainly showed a lot of ability prior to that win last start, so I think both of them will be good chances.”
To be ridden by Kelly Myers, Bak De Ace romped away with a maiden highweight at Woodville before heading south, while Guzzler was a dominant last-start winner at Waverley under Sarah Macnab, who retains the mount.