News In Brief
Zacada Photo: Trish Dunell
Sydney next target for Zacada
Last year’s Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m) runner-up Zacada is being aimed to replicate his autumn exploits of last year when he heads across the Tasman to compete in the A$2 million feature next month.
The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained six-year-old finished runner-up behind stablemate Gundown over 2200m at Ellerslie on Saturday, his last start in New Zealand before his Sydney campaign.
“He needs rain, just to slow them up a wee bit,” Baker said. “Last year he got beaten by a nose in the Sydney Cup on a very good track.
“He is probably better suited over there on a big track like Randwick and he won’t have any weight.
“He will probably go to Rosehill and run in a 2600m race, then into the Chairman’s (Gr.2, 2600m) and Sydney Cup.”
Group One target for Supera
Group three-winning mare Supera will head to Te Aroha next month in an attempt to add a Group One victory to her resume.
The Ken and Bev Kelso and Mark Donoghue-trained four-year-old will line-up in the Gr.1 Fiber Fresh NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) off the back of an unplaced run in the Gr.1 Haunui Farm WFA Group One Classic (1600m) at Otaki last month.
Ken Kelso cited the state of the Otaki track as the main contributor to that last start result, but said he is pleased with how his mare has pulled up after the run.
“I don’t think it was a good enough track for a Group One race,” Kelso said. “It was terrible across the top. Lance Robinson walked it on the Friday night and he told me across the top he thought it was a heavy 11 and they were posting a slow 7.
“If we had known that we probably wouldn’t have been there.
“She has come through the race well, she had a week in the paddock. She will go straight to the Breeders at Te Aroha.
“We have won it a couple of times with Xanadu and Perfect Fit.”
