Zouzarella favoured in Guineas warm up

Cambridge Stud-owned filly Zouzarella can further stamp herself as the horse to beat in the Gr.1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 13 when she contests the Listed Jim Maloney Stakes (1400m) at Sandown.

Prepared by Anthony and Sam Freedman, the three-year-old filly has had two starts for two wins, both at Moonee Valley, and looks to be suited stepping up in distance.

"Everything points toward her enjoying a bigger track and a longer run in, albeit when they come down that hill, I've had plenty of horses get a little undone there," Sam Freedman told Racing.com.

"This has pretty much been the plan the whole way through, and it should top her off, gives her a run at 1400m, which I don't think should pose an issue for her and she looks like she should be very well suited to a mile as well."

"She's not unbeatable by any stretch of the imagination and it's not her grand final, she's still being set to peak in the Thousand Guineas."

A daughter of Zoustar, Zouzarella is the $2.10 favourite for Saturday’s contest.

 

Entriviere out to secure lucrative Invitation

Classy New Zealand mare Entriviere will be out to secure a spot in the A$2 million The Invitation (1400m) when she contests the Gr.2 Golden Pendant (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

The Jamie Richards-trained mare made a pleasing start to her spring preparation when winning the Gr.2 Sheraco Stakes (1200m) earlier in the month and will be met by a similar field this weekend.

'She's a quality mare and seems to have bounced out of that first-up run in good shape," Richards said. 

"She's drawn the outside barrier, which is frustrating, she's just going to need a little bit of luck from there but hopefully we can slot in with a bit of cover and I don't think she'll mind the step up to 1400." 

A daughter of Tavistock, Entriviere has been patiently managed by Te Akau Racing and didn't make her debut until she was four. 

She has rewarded connections by winning six of her eight starts, including three stakes races. 

Richards is content to continue in a similar vein and won't be tempted to throw the mare in the deep end this spring. 

"She was just an immature horse (early), which is probably quite typical of the Tavistocks," Richards said. 

"She had to have a little chip removed out of a fetlock but other than that she just needed a bit of time. 

"I think The Invitation is a really nice race for her. We'll probably just try to stick to our own sex at this stage."

 

Auckland Cup downgraded to Group Two

The Pattern Review for races run in the 2020-21 season has been completed, with the New Zealand Pattern Committee downgrading three races.

Most notably, the two-mile Auckland Cup has been downgraded from Group One to Group Two level, which leaves the Melbourne Cup and Sydney Cup as the only 3200m Group One races in Australasia.

The Pattern Committee recommended that the race keep its prizemoney ($500,000), that it revert to being a handicap and that it be given “Heritage 1” status in the event that New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing supports a heritage handicap structure.

The Auckland Cup, which was won by Ocean Billy last season, beating Charles Road and Sound, has been run at set weights and penalties in recent years.

Also downgraded are the Easter Handicap (1600m) from Group Two to Group Three and the Rotorua Cup (2200m) from Group Three to Listed.

A full link to the  Pattern Committee report can be found here: https://mcusercontent.com/7b0bb264f7aa593e722b31c9e/files/3178b493-9734-7f0d-81f3-e9a55f406561/Report_of_the_NZPC_2021.pdf