While a firm plan has yet to be locked into place, Gentian Blue’s connections are giving thought to a trip across the Tasman.
The gifted daughter of Reliable Man has impressed in a brief career and has already showed she’s a genuine stakes contender.
Gentian Blue has won two of her seven starts and finished fifth in the Gr.3 Cuddle Stakes (1600m) and was spelled after following up with another bold run to fill an identical placing in the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m).
The five-year-old will be back in action in the Northpine Waipu Cup (1400m) at Ruakaka at the weekend with Vinnie Colgan to guide the mare’s fortunes.
“We’ll see how she goes on Saturday and we have toyed with the idea of potentially going over to Victoria,” said trainer Maxim Van Lierde, who races the mare with wife Samantha.
“We could maybe run her in a couple of handicaps while her rating is still nice and low.
“She has obviously got a lot of ability and it’s about placing her right to try and get what we want out of her.”
Gentian Blue has had the benefit of a trial ahead of her resuming run and is in good shape to kick off.
“She’s been up at Ruakaka since Monday and has settled in well up there,” Van Lierde said.
“She’s forward enough, we scratched the other week with the impending rain, and I would be expecting her to be really hitting the line hard late.”
The Cambridge horseman’s patient approach with Gentian Blue reaped rewards last time around and there’s confidence the best is yet to come when the grey moves up in distance.
“We have given her the time that she’s needed,” Van Lierde said.
“She went from strength-to-strength last preparation and, given what she did last season, we’re excited to see what she can do for us this campaign.
“I would like to have another crack at the Breeders, but I think she will be more effective when she gets up to 2000m and beyond.
“It would be nice to get some black type for her page, she deserves it and it’s about taking it step by step and not getting too far ahead of ourselves.”
Gentian Blue is out of the Thorn Park mare Emma’s Choice, whose dam is a half-sister to the Gr.1 Easter Handicap (1600m) winner Ray’s Hope and his brother Star Defence was a dual South African Group winner.
Van Lierde also has promising Echoes Of Heaven filly Swycho in Saturday’s Truweld Engineering 3YO (1400m).
She has finished fourth in both of her appearances at Matamata and Tauranga since returning from a spell with Kozzi Asano booked for the ride.
“We were thrilled with Swycho’s run last Saturday and her sectionals in the race were outstanding,” he said.
“She pulled up really well and ate up that night and was on the truck to Ruakaka on Sunday. Sam said she is thriving up there on the beach.”
Van Lierde and his wife bred Swycho, a daughter of the Singspiel mare Pansies whose family includes the Gr.1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) winner and Gr.1 July Cup (1200m) placegetter Alverta.