Contingency plan for RTR Breeze-ups

New Zealand Bloodstock has devised a contingency plan for the 2021 Ready to Run Sale Breeze Ups.

On Sunday 3 October, the Government imposed an Alert Level 3 ‘border’ placed around Raglan, Te Kauwhata, Ngaruawahia, Hamilton city and Huntly for an initial period of five days, ending at 11.59PM Friday 8 October.

New Zealand Bloodstock and the Waikato Racing Club have been advised that Breeze Ups for the Ready to Run Sale cannot take place under current Alert Level 3 restrictions, and therefore have devised the following contingency plan:

1. At 1PM on Friday 8 October, if it is announced the restrictions have been lifted, the 2021 Ready to Run Sale Breeze Ups will go ahead at Te Rapa Racecourse as scheduled on the 11 and 12 October.
2. If, however, that announcement extends the border restrictions, the Breeze Ups will be postponed until the following Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 October at Te Rapa.
3. If on Friday 1PM 15 October (or earlier), it is announced that that the restrictions are to be extended even further, the Breeze Ups will be held at the Cambridge Jockey Club’s synthetic track on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 October.

New Zealand Bloodstock said it will adapt to the changing circumstances in the best way it possibly can and would like to thank the Waikato Racing Club, Cambridge Jockey Club and New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing for their help in ensuring it has a workable and realistic contingency plan in place.

More information will be made available regarding the Breeze Ups in due course.

Magneto on track for Guineas berth

South Auckland trainer Steven Cole elected to bypass last Saturday’s Gr.2 Dundeel At Arrowfield Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) with Magneto in favour of a softer target closer to home this week.

The son of Showcasing finished third in the Listed El Roca – Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) at Hastings last start and Cole thought it would be too much of an ask for Magneto to make the long trip to Hawke’s Bay once again a fortnight later.

“He has bounced through his last run and at this stage he is going to run at Matamata this weekend in a three-year-old 1400m,” Cole said.

“Being in Auckland we have got to go the day before and doing that twice in a short space of time is a big ask early in his prep.

“The logistics of being in Auckland at the moment is pretty hard, admittedly we have been very lucky with Caley Myers looking after our horses. It is still a big effort to get them down there and back.”

Cole was impressed with Magneto’s second-up effort in the El Roca and is looking forward to stepping him up over more ground as they look to the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November.

“I thought it was a super run,” Cole said. “His first run at Te Rapa I thought he was going to be pretty vulnerable considering he had one very quiet trial and an exhibition gallop at Ruakaka, that was five or six weeks before his first race.

“He improved naturally with it and Michael (McNab, jockey) really liked the horse and thought the step up to 1400m would really suit him.

“The 2000 Guineas is still the main aim at the moment. It’s just a matter of how we are going to get down there and whether Auckland people will be able to get down there at all. We will get to that hurdle once we get past Matamata.”