Highly regarded two-year-old Montana Bay will deliver a memorable victory at Te Rapa on Saturday if he can go one better on his previous visit to the Hamilton course.
The ICIB Brokerweb 2YO (1100m) contender is prepared by Stephen Ralph for long-standing friends and clients Stuart and Cherie Hope, who enjoyed a successful association with the juvenile’s sire.
Montana Bay has drawn a handy barrier (five) after producing a game performance last time out to finish runner-up from an awkward gate.
“It was a good run and we had to jump from out wide and he got taken on to the first corner and he had to keep going,” Ralph said.
“He just didn’t get a rest and it took a good one (Maracatu) to beat him. If he had jumped from an inside draw, he would have had a lot more petrol left at the other end.
“He’s a quality animal and it was just a shame he didn’t get a breather, so we’re hoping for another good run and then look for a decent race for him.”
“If he can front up, there’s one on January 1 (Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes, 1200m) and we’ll be off to have a crack at that.”
Montana Bay is a son of Thunder Down Under, who won four races from Ralph’s stable including the Listed ARC 3YO Salver (2100m) and placed in the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m).
Out of the Galileo mare River Dreaming, he subsequently retired to Ralph’s property and from limited books has produced three placegetters from four runners to date.
“We really rate the Thunder Down Unders and Stuart and Cherie own half of the stallion with us,” Ralph said.
“They have been in the game almost from the start with us and have been extremely successful, obviously with Santa Monica.
“We all get on really well and they leave us to do our thing and trust our judgement.”
Santa Monica won the 2019 Gr.1 Railway (1200m) and is a half-sister to Montana Bay, whose sister and stablemate Monique Tonnerre was a trial winner at Ellerslie on Monday, with their dam the Volksraad mare Monarch.
Meanwhile, Ralph is looking forward to the next appearance of his talented but wayward three-year-old Leroy Brown.
The son of Ace High impressively accounted for subsequent Gr.3 Wellington Stakes (1600m) runner-up Charmer at Tauranga two runs back before finishing fourth in the Listed Trevor & Corallie Memorial (1500m) at Te Rapa.
“We were a bit disappointed last start because he led and he’s just not a leader and needs to take a sit,” Ralph said.
“We’re trying to get to the Levin Classic (Gr.1, 1600m) so we’re going to have to hope that he wins on January 1 in a set weights and penalties over a mile or that he has enough points to get in.”
The Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) is the long-term aim for Leroy Brown.
“Hopefully, we can keep ticking the boxes as we go. He’s as green as grass but he’s got a massive future,” Ralph said.