Funny Girl continues strong run for Noble

Karaka trainer Lance Noble might be frustrated by the on-going Auckland lockdown, but can take solace from the fact his horses continue to perform well on the racetrack.

Noble has sent out six winners from his past 15 runners, despite not be able to be on-course himself on raceday, and that trend continued on Sunday when three-year-old filly Funny Girl ran out a ready winner over 1215m.

“She had won first-up on the synthetic and then in the Gold Trail (Gr.3, 1200m) I just don’t think she copped the off-track down there,” Noble said.

“We gave her a bit of time to get over the trip to Hastings and she was strong yesterday back on reasonable footing.”

A daughter of Showcasing, Funny Girl is likely to have a break now before being set for the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) on Karaka Million night, a race sponsored by Noble’s employers, Cambridge Stud.

“I don’t think she’d get a Guineas trip (1600m), and you’re a bit limited in options if they don’t go that far,” Noble said. 

“We will back off her for a week and then make a plan backwards from Karaka Million night.”

Noble is pleased with in-form gallopers Ziegfeld and Marchand, who will take on stakes company at Matamata and Te Rapa respectively over the long weekend.

“Ziegfeld will run in the Soliloquy (Gr.3, 1400m) on Saturday and Marchand will head to the Sarten (Gr.2, 1400m) at Te Rapa on Monday,” he said.

“Ziegfeld has just kept stepping up and keeps winning. I think she has improved too. Once she saw Mustang Valley run past her, she saw her with the blinkers on and fought back and won. It is encouraging because she wants to win.

“The fact she won at Matamata last start is a plus, and she handles a bit of give if there is rain around.

“Marchand won his last start at Te Rapa on a bit of an off track but is a really nice horse going forward.”

 

Another stakes win for Belardo filly

Belardo’s first-crop daughter Elysium won her second stakes race on Sunday when taking the Listed Garnet Stakes (1600m) at Naas in Ireland.

Slowly away from the stalls, the Noel Meade-trained filly made steady headway in the straight before recording a half-length victory.

Lightly raced in her three-year-old season, Elysium finished 2020 with a victory in the Gr.3 Weld Park Stakes (1400m) at the Curragh.

Lope de Vega stallion Belardo was New Zealand’s champion first season sire for the 2020/21 season with four winners from 20 runners in New Zealand, including three black-type performers.

Internationally Belardo has nine stakes performers with his oldest progeny being just three.

Belardo is currently standing at Haunui Farm for a fee of NZ$10,000 + GST.

 

Cup predicament for Tralee Rose

Trainer Symon Wilde has a decision to make as to whether Kiwi-bred mare Tralee Rose will chase Wednesday’s Gr.3 Geelong Cup (2400m) or be saved to run next in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m)

Tralee Rose was one of 14 horses to accept on Monday for Wednesday’s $400,000 Geelong Cup but with a number of higher qualified horses now certain to miss the Melbourne Cup, Tralee Rose looks almost certain of making the final 24 without having to run again.

She is currently 25th in order following the withdrawal of Realm of Flowers, Sir Dragonet and Duais, and there are doubts remaining on a handful of other higher-qualified horses, which include Quick Thinker, who suffered a career-ending injury last week.

“The Geelong Cup looks a nice race for her so we’ll look at the track condition and weigh up whether she needs to run and whether its beneficial for her to run,” Wilde told Racing.com.

“The Geelong Cup is the more winnable race but (in the Melbourne Cup) Incentivise looks nearly unbeatable and there’s that good European horse (Spanish Mission) but outside of those it is fairly open and we look a really good top-five chance.”

Fifth placing in the Melbourne Cup would earn connections $230,000 while a Geelong Cup win earns them $240,000. 

A daughter of Tavistock, Tralee Rose was purchased by Cameron Cooke Bloodstock for $50,000 out of the Cambridge Stud draft at the 2018 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale.