Cambridge trainer Tony Pike enjoyed a raceday double with two promising types at Matamata on Wednesday, highlighted by tough three-year-old Cannon Hill scoring in a competitive age-group race.
Pike was pleased to see his two progressive maideners breakthrough for their first victories at the Waikato venue, Cannon Hill displaying his respectable trial form to score in the Transport Mechanical Waharoa LTD 1200.
The son of Ardrossan strode to the lead under Vinnie Colgan in the early stages and controlled an even tempo throughout, showing his toughness when being challenged at the top of the straight to continue kicking and holding off late flyer Sudbina to score by a short neck.
“He’s a horse we’ve always had a lot of time for. He was probably a little bit immature as a two-year-old and didn’t have a lot of luck in his runs at two but he’s come back a lot stronger,” Pike said.
“He still did a little bit wrong today once he got clear, but I think he’s quite progressive and as he strengthens up a bit further I think he can go to quite a nice level.”
Pike is looking to take a quiet approach this spring with Cannon Hill, anticipating the colt may be stronger in his autumn preparation, however, the final day of the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival could be on the cards with the Open 3YO 1300m event.
“We’ll see how he pulls up from today, obviously he’s cleared maidens in a competitive maiden three-year-old race so we may head down to Hawkes Bay, but we’ll just take him slowly because I think he’s going to be a really nice horse come the Autumn,” he said.
Pike claimed his raceday double in the last event of the day, with convincing favourite ($2.00) Preferential scoring a well-deserved victory in the Robert Bruce Clothier Memorial 2000m after a consistent run of placings.
Colgan had the Preferment mare one off the fence behind a relatively strong pace shared between Just A Karin and Prize Prince, the four-year-old loomed wide turning for home and showed the same grit as her stablemate in out-toughening runner-up Matai Bay to take victory by a head.
“She deserved that, she’s a big rangy staying mare that’s taken a fair bit of time to mature but she deserved that today after some consistent form,” Pike said.
“We might actually give her a break now, we’ll just see how she pulls up over the next week or so but she’s a mare that once she strengthens up a bit further she could develop into quite a nice stayer going forward.”