Robusto ready for Tuesday challenge

Pint-sized mare Robusto will carry the hopes of the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman stable in Tuesday’s Gr.3 Dunstan Horsefeeds Balmerino Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa.

The seven-year-old daughter of Zed is in her final season of racing having been served recently by Cambridge Stud sire Hello Youmzain and is looking to add a third black type victory to her career record before heading to the matron’s paddock.

Last season’s Gr.2 Avondale Cup (2400m) winner comes into Tuesday’s weight-for-age contest with a midfield finish in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m), with Baker hoping to see significant improvement from his charge.

“She is a tough mare, but she is not very big, so she isn’t as well suited at weight-for-age as she would be in a handicap event,” he said.

“In saying that, it doesn’t appear to be an overly strong line-up and with a bit of rain around she should get track conditions to suit.

“This will be her fourth run this prep, so we are expecting to see her go well as there aren’t many races left for her before she is off to stud.

“We’ve got a pretty decent record in this race over the last few years, so it would be nice to extend that a little more.”

A win by Robusto would be the third for the stable in the last six years after St Emilion was successful in 2016 and again in 2018, while Mime was the runner-up in 2017.

Baker first won the race in 1993 with high class mare Balinchy who numbered it amongst her 12 career victories, with six of those coming at stakes level.

Te Rapa gets behind COVID-19 vaccine drive

The Waikato Racing Club is getting behind the push for Kiwis, particularly those in the racing community, to get double vaccinated against COVID-19, naming a race at their meeting on Tuesday the ‘Two Shots For Racing Mile’.

“It has become increasingly apparent with the Government mandating things around vaccinations that it is going to be so important that anyone who wants to participate in racing in the future has to be double vaccinated,” Waikato Racing Club chief executive Andrew “Butch” Castles said.

“We are taking a line from the Government’s approach with all the advertising about ‘two shots for summer’, ‘two shots for concerts’, and ‘two shots for festivals’.

“We had a spare race and I thought the race name ‘Two Shots For Racing’ was well worth getting out there, particularly on Melbourne Cup Day.

“It’s about getting to as many people as possible and suggesting to them that if they want to have a future in this great game they should be double-vaccinated.

“While it is a personal choice, from a racing club point of view we need to be sure that everyone here is safe. The more people that can be vaccinated the better.”

The club will hold a 10-race meeting on Tuesday, with the first race commencing at 11:58am, and the meeting’s feature, the Gr.3 Dunstan Horsefeeds Balmerino Stakes (2000m) jumping at 3:10pm.