Wexford Stables may be without their defending champion in Saturday’s Gr.2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m), but a returning Group One winner in Waitak will be out to retain the title for Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott.
The Matamata operation were set to have both Waitak and stablemate Dragon Leap commencing their spring preparations in the Te Rapa feature, but the latter has been scratched, erring on the side of caution after trackwork on Thursday morning.
“We gave him a stretch of his legs yesterday (Thursday) and he’s just pulled up a bit off,” Scott said.
“Pratap, his trackwork rider, rides him every day and knows this horse very well, he just didn’t think he was quite 100 percent.
“We went over him and couldn’t find a lot wrong, and he’s trotted up all but 100 percent yesterday afternoon, but the horse certainly comes first so we just wanted to take the precautionary avenue.
“He’s been an incredibly good horse to us so we don’t want to be taking any chances.”
The eight-year-old son of Pierro has earned more than $620,000 in a career spanning 25 starts, with his victory in last year’s Foxbridge Plate his third at Group Two level.
Dragon Leap subsequently finished a narrow second to Skew Wiff in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m), a race Scott indicated he may still feature in this year come the 7th of September.
“We’ll do a reset now and keep a close eye on him over the next couple of days, and all going well he can crack on into his preparation,” he said.
“He’s still in the entries for Hastings, so if there’s nothing sinister wrong he still has a spring path in front of him.”
Waitak made a name for himself in the sprinting ranks through the second half of last season, with an explosive come-from-behind victory in the Gr.1 Railway Handicap (1200m) and a creditable performance when crossing the Tasman for The Quokka (1200m).
“We couldn’t have been more pleased with how he’s come away from Perth, he had a quick break and we’ve given him two trials to have him as fit as we can going into Saturday,” Scott said.
“The Foxbridge and the Tarzino are his first two initial goals, so we’re looking to have him as ready as we can which we think we have.
“He’s had a nice amount of work and went well in his trials, his work is always at a high standard so we think we’re ready to go fresh-up.
“It’ll be Soft to Heavy ground, so you need good levels of fitness to overcome that. He has shown he can handle the softer ground, so we believe he’s got the fitness to be galloping on strongly.”
The Proisir gelding has drawn barrier 13 under Masa Hashizume, with the wide alley not seen to be an issue in Scott’s perspective.
“He’s drawn wide, but late in the day, that may not be a disadvantage,” he said.
“They may be looking to get out on the track anyway, but he’s a horse that even if we’d drawn a gate, he couldn’t have utilised it as he settles beyond midfield.”
On the undercard, O’Sullivan and Scott have a pair of runners contesting the Noverre Mile (1600m) and Ardrossan 1200 with Time Traveller and Lex Rex respectively.
“Time Traveller has been pretty consistent and getting closer to a win, he hit the line well at his last start and is ready to be stepping out to a mile now,” Scott said.
‘He enjoyed Te Rapa last start so back there where he’s hit out with confidence, we wouldn’t be expecting any less.
“He’s a fit gelding that can handle the soft ground, so he’ll be right in the finish.”
A son of Per Incanto, Lex Rex has been away from the races for over 12 months and is lightly tried for a six-year-old, with just eight starts under his belt.
“Dame Lowell Goddard (owner and breeder) loves her horses and is always prepared to wait for them,” Scott said.
“He had a wee setback last year and she’s given him a long break with a slow build-up to follow.
“He’s always a horse we thought was capable of getting through the grades and up to a good level, and he trialled in a manner that suggests when he goes, we expect him to run well.
“He’s sound and pretty forward, so we believe he can put in a good account of himself.”
Looking forward to the Hastings carnival, the Tarzino Trophy also beckons for smart Group Two-winning mare Grail Seeker, who was an eye-catching performer in the Fiber Fresh Group Trials at Taupo on Wednesday.
“The team was very pleased with her, seeing her trial in the manner she did,” Scott said.
“She’s just settled into her work quickly this time in and is stronger in the finish, whereas last season she just wanted to overdo it a wee bit in her races.
“She’s pulled up really well this morning, she had a trot and a canter and is coping well.
“She’ll go down to the Tarzino, we’ve aimed her for this race fresh as she seems to put in a strong performance on the fresher side. By the way she has trialled twice, she looks to be going down and being competitive.
“She’s a filly that we’ve always thought a lot of, and now we’ve got her going back over shorter trips, that may be her style this season.”