Group One performer Express Yourself will test her talents in Melbourne this spring, with part-owner and former trainer Nikki Hurdle entrusting her to the care of Cranbourne conditioners Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr.
The rising six-year-old daughter of Shamexpress had a breakthrough season for Hurdle, winning four and finished runner-up in three of her eight starts, including a nose defeat to Mercurial in the Gr.1 JR & N Berkett Telegraph (1200m).
Express Yourself, who will race as Expressiveness in Australia, crossed the Tasman earlier this month and Hurdle believes it is the right time to test her mare in the competitive racing jurisdiction.
“She is on a temporary visa,” Hurdle said. “She is going to have a spring campaign in Melbourne. It is pretty open-ended, but the plan is that she will be back here in December.
“I have looked through what is coming up for her in New Zealand and when you get to a rating like her, it is just so limited. Every time she races now, she is going to be carrying a lot of weight and we just felt that the time was so right to give her a go in Australia.
“There are a lot of fillies and mares races there and we thought it was a great place to try her. We thought the worst thing we could do is not have a go, so I got in touch with Mick Price and he was very keen to have a go with her. We worked out a plan and she has been over with him now for just over three weeks.
“Mick told me to do it now because she is at the right age, she is at the right point of her career, she is at the right rating, and she has had very few starts for a horse of her age. He said he thinks she is exactly the right horse to do this with.”
Hurdle said she has received glowing reports from Kent and Price, and she has been impressed with the level of communication from the pair.
“The Price/Kent stable have been outstanding, the communication has just been awesome,” she said. “He (Price) sends us videos and voice mails. I have had quite a bit of contact with Mick, he did give me the time to talk with him about this mare. We have had several long talks about her and I just felt he got her, which you would expect from a trainer of his experience.
“She had her first jumpout at Cranbourne on Monday morning and went very well, he was thrilled with her.”
Hurdle’s son Ryan, a jockey based in Ballarat, guided Express Yourself to her Group One placing earlier this year and she is keen to give him the opportunity to do the same in his adopted homeland in the coming months.
“I would hope that he will have the opportunity to ride her in Australia,” Hurdle said.
“When I first got her, he won a trial on her at Foxton when he happened to be home. He has had three rides on her for two wins and a very narrow miss in a Group One. He does get on really well with her and we would love to see him ride her in Australia.
“Blake Shinn rode her on Monday and Mick Dee is a good friend of Ryan’s and he said he would like to ride her too. There is no lack of good riders.”
While an Australian jockey has yet to be locked in, Hurdle said regardless of the spring, Ryan will be reunited with Express Yourself in New Zealand when she returns later this year with an eye towards going one better in the Telegraph.
“Whatever happens, he (Ryan) will come back and ride her again in the Telegraph for me,” Hurdle said. “After that we may give her a go at the BCD Group Sprint (Gr.1, 1400m) and then that would be her for the season.”
Hurdle has the two New Zealand Group One sprints firmly in her sights but is opting to stay clear of the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) for now, having been put off by Ellerslie after her mare finished 12th in the Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m) on Karaka Millions night in January.
“The worst race she ran was at Ellerslie and I am a little worried about taking her back there,” she said. “We struck it on Millions night and she did not go at all on that track, and I won’t be in a hurry to bring her back. She told us in no uncertain terms that she didn’t go on that surface.”
Hurdle is also eyeing a potential return across the Tasman next year with Express Yourself if everything goes to plan this spring.
“I pre-trained her this year for Mick and it has worked out quite well,” she said. “If this experiment goes well, we will do it all again (next year). We would probably leave her there and get her in foal as she would be seven by then.”
While Express Yourself is campaigning in Melbourne, Hurdle said she will be occupied back at home in Manawatu with a new stable acquisition.
“I only ever do one or two, and I have been very fortunate to pick up a lovely Darci Brahma filly who is a half to (six-win mare) Meglio Di Falcrest. What got my interest is that Falcrest, the mother, is a half to an incredibly good sprinter called Centre Crest who won 16 races for Wayne Marshment.
“This wee filly came along and I just couldn’t grab her quick enough. She is a really nice horse. I am playing with her while Express Yourself is having her working holiday in Australia, and I am quite optimistic about her too.
“We have leased her off a good friend of mine and they have kept shares. Some of the Express Yourself syndicate have also taken shares in her. It is nice to have something to move on with.”
Hurdle is excited about the spring on both sides of the Tasman and is looking forward to heading to Australia to watch Express Yourself compete.
“It is a big syndicate and we are all planning on heading over at some point to watch the horse race,” she said.
“It is a big leap of faith for us (sending her over to Melbourne), but we are keen. We have such faith in her, we think she is a really nice horse, and we are keen to see what she can do in Australia. I hate the thought of dying wondering.
“She is in a brilliant stable and will be given every chance. We are looking forward to seeing what Mick can do with her.
“He is thinking of racing her on the 17th of August at Caulfield, all going well.”