Gore trainer Ellis Winsloe has the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations Winter Cup (1600m) in his sights for progressive galloper Taramea Lad, who will aim to secure his place in the Riccarton feature this weekend.
The Ekraar four-year-old gelding was a commanding four-length winner over 2000m at Riccarton last start but drops back to 1600m for Sunday's Crombie & Price Oamaru Cup as Winsloe looks to shore up a start in the Winter Cup.
Taramea Lad is the equal 24th highest entry for the Winter Cup after second withdrawals for the race were taken on Wednesday. The race accommodates 18 runners.
"He's in great order. We're really taking this one on to try and get him a start in the Winter Cup," Winsloe said.
"That's the race we're aiming for. There's a Rating 75 race up there if he doesn't make it in but the Winter Cup is the one I want.
"He loves Riccarton. The racing there suits him with the big roomy track and the wet tracks don't worry him. "
A winner of three of his 13 starts, all on heavy tracks, Taramea Lad is a $26 shot on the TAB's futures market for the Winter Cup but is sure to shorten if he can win the Oamaru Cup.
"His work has been good and I'm happy with him," Winsloe said.
"I haven't done a hell of a lot with him since Riccarton. He's had a couple of gallops since and they've been really good.
"We're going back to a mile and that's the difference for him at Oamaru. He made the 2000m look easy at Christchurch the other day but he's very capable at a mile too.
"He's the new boy on the block and it's a strong field. But if can win, then he's in the Winter Cup and he'll go there. If it gets testing, he'll stay better than most of the other ones will."
Winsloe was looking at trepidation at the weather forecast for heavy rain for Sunday, which has led to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing to release that it would "review the situation on Saturday morning at around 8am", suggesting it could consider postponing the meeting to Wednesday.
"We're planning on leaving at 10 o'clock on Saturday morning so we'd prefer a decision sooner rather than later because we've got to travel a long way to get there," Winsloe said.
Winslow said it was getting harder to work out a programme for his winter team with the regularity of synthetic racing at Riccarton meaning fewer midweek opportunities in Southland.
"Normally I'd be getting my jumpers ready for Grand National week but I'll just be going up with him this year. Getting the racing into them through winter is our biggest problem down here," he said.