Canterbury trainer Andrew Carston will be represented in two of the $100,000 synthetic races across the country this week, including the TAB 2000 at Cambridge on Thursday with Sincere.
Sincere has recorded each of his three career victories on the synthetic surface, with two coming in the current campaign giving Carston confidence to look further afield for a more lucrative stake.
His final lead-in run was a sterling and luckless effort from last on the corner to run down all but Peecee Pussycat and Tomyturbo last month on his home course.
“It’s obviously the innovation race and I sort of set him for that since he’s been so good on the poly track,” Carston said.
“He’s headed up and is currently staying with Lisa Latta and has settled in well, then he’ll travel up to Cambridge on Wednesday.
“I haven’t done a lot of form in the race, but I know he likes the surface, it’s a $100,000 race so it’s worth having a crack at.”
Carston has a similar mindset with the Ripple Creek Equine Polytrack $100,000 (1200m) at Riccarton Synthetic on Wednesday, having three runners in Magneto, Thats Charming and Mumbo Jumbo engaged in the local feature.
Magneto is the highest rated of the stablemates with two wins in his last three starts, with one of last season’s top hoops in Joe Doyle set to ride the son of Showcasing out of barrier 14.
“They’ve all qualified for the race and deserve their chance to be there for the owners. They’ve all got polytrack form but will need a little bit of luck to be getting a fair amount of the money,” Carston said.
“Magneto is racing in career-best form you could argue, and the other two have both won twice on the poly so it’s worth a shot.”
Carston scored the trifecta in last year’s Nautical Insurance Grand National Amateur Championship (2200m) with Bad Flamingo, Take That and Dame County, and the first two horses will line-up again in this year’s contest.
A six-year-old by Zacinto, Bad Flamingo will be partnered by experienced amateur jockey Michelle Northcott, while Carston has given local riders Ruby Rae and Tylor Solomon an opportunity aboard Reggie Ruler and Take That respectively.
“I think it’s important to support these riders in the amateurs, they are important to the industry,” Carston said.
“Take That has had two runs back after a brief let-up and I set him for this race again, he ran second last year and he’s an each-way chance again.
“Bad Flamingo is going well, he just pulled a bit hard last start but he’ll improve off the run and he’s not without a shot either.”
Of his five remaining runners at the meeting, Tough Time was a last-start winner at the track and will line-up under a very in-form Lisa Allpress in the Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Rating 65 (1600m).
“I thought his win was good, and it was great to see him back in form because he’s a horse that has shown a fair amount of ability,” Carston said.
“This is a stronger race than last time, but this is a feature meeting and he deserves to be there. He’ll need a bit of luck from the barrier he has, but he’s going well."