Timaru gelding Richard Stomper will head north to Riccarton on Wednesday where he will get a deserved crack at stakes level for the first time in the Gr.3 TAB Mile (1600m).
The five-year-old son of El Roca has been in impeccable form over spring for trainer Stephanie Faulkner, finishing runner-up first-up over 1200m on his home track last month before winning his next two outings at Ashburton over a mile.
Faulkner has been pleased with the way he has progressed and is looking forward to testing him in Group company this week.
“It is a very good race and the strongest field he has come up against, but he just seems to step up each time,” Faulkner said.
“He has improved out of his last run, he seems in a really good frame of mind, I am really happy with him.”
Faulkner said Richard Stomper is far from the finished product and believes he has plenty of improvement to come.
“We haven’t seen the best of him yet. This race might be a year too early, but while he is in form we thought we would give it a go,” she said.
Richard Stomper will be partnered once again by Brandon May, with Faulkner opting to stick with a familiar rider for the quirky horse, who is set to jump from barrier 12 on Wednesday.
“He can be a bit awkward, and Brandon knows him,” Faulkner said. “He was jumping patches on the track in the last race he won.
“As far as the draw goes, he has got good tactical speed for a big horse and he has usually got another good kick in the last 200m. I just hope a couple go and he can just sit in behind them and get a nice run.”
Faulkner will also line-up Green Luck in the Avon City Ford Premier (2000m).
The evergreen 10-year-old finished fifth over a mile at Ashburton last start upon his return from an unsuccessful bid at the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Te Rapa, and Faulkner said he will appreciate the step up in distance this week.
“He had that run at Ashburton and was a bit one-paced over the mile,” she said. “The 2000m definitely suits him better and we have got Kylie Williams on top who won the Canterbury Gold Cup (Gr.3, 2000m) on him. We are happy to have her on. If he is anywhere near his best form, he will give them a good shake.”
Faulkner’s Riccarton representation will be rounded out by Raghallaigh in the Haase Marshall Drainage Premier (2000m), and she believes he is a better chance than his $14 winning quote with TAB bookmakers.
“He has always shown us a lot,” she said. “He can do a few things wrong in his races, he has got no early speed, but if you punch him up he gets a bit fired up. I am just hoping that he will pop out and just do things right.
“He is a runner’s chance. He can reel off a few good sectionals. A good run wouldn’t surprise me.”
Riccarton was rated a Soft5 on Monday morning, and with fine weather forecast leading into Wednesday, Faulkner said all of her runners will have conditions to suit.
“The three of them will love a good, firm track, and it looks like we are going to get that,” she said.