Top-class sprinter Mascarpone again showed his affinity for Te Rapa on Wednesday when comfortably winning his 1000m trial.

In a star-studded line-up, the Team Rogerson-trained gelding was pushed forward to take an early lead and didn’t relinquish his advantage, winning his heat by 2-1/4 lengths over Entriviere, who went to the line under a hold for jockey Opie Bosson.

“He trialled well and he likes Te Rapa,” Graeme Rogerson said. “It was a nice hit-out for him for the BCD Group Sprint (Gr.1, 1400m).”

The son of Shooting To Win placed in the Te Rapa feature last year and Rogerson is hoping for an improved result, although he knows his charge will have to overcome a very competitive field.

“He ran third there last year. It is going to be a hot field this year – you have got Entriviere, she trialled nice, and Levante.”

Mascarpone has only once been out of the money in six starts at Te Rapa, and commenced a spring campaign last year with a win in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at the Hamilton course.

The five-year-old went on to post four consecutive placings, including thirds in the Gr.3 Sweynesse Stakes (1215m), Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m), and Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m).

“He is a handful, but he is a nice horse,” Rogerson said. “I am looking forward to next week.”

While Rogerson is eager to head to Te Rapa on February 12, he has another stakes target in his sights this weekend with debutant Villon ready to step out in the Gr.3 Platinum Homes 2YO Classic (1200m) at New Plymouth on Saturday.

The colt will sport the colours of breeders Brendan and Jo Lindsay of Cambridge Stud, who remain in the ownership of the son of Almanzor with a group that includes Rogerson and prominent owner and breeder Joan Egan.

He takes good trial form into Saturday, having won impressively on the Cambridge synthetic before finishing second on the inside track at Ellerslie last week.

“I will put blinkers on him and a crossover. He trialled at Auckland and got out a bit wide on the track,” Rogerson said.

“He is a little bit immature but he is an Almanzor who is going to be a lovely three-year-old, he is just a really grouse horse.

“It will be interesting (on Saturday), there are some quite nice horses in there. It is a nice race.”

Meanwhile, Rogerson said there is some work to do with Princess Lowry if he hopes to return to Trentham next month for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m).

The filly finished ninth in the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at the Upper Hutt track on Saturday and Rogerson said she didn’t handle the left-handed way of going.

“She got out three wide and didn’t really go around left-handed as good as I thought she would,” he said.

“She got on the wrong leg, so we are just giving her an easy week and then we will work out what we do with her.

“She has got to learn to go left-handed for sure.” – NZ Racing Desk